Shapeless Hope
by sske
Summary: During a blotched attempt to capture Saber in the 5th Holy Grail War, Caster accidentally revel back into a child. Helpless before Saber, is there any way she could escape her death? Perhaps through a certain justice-loving hero?
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

 _This is wrong._

That thought crossed Caster's mind as she sprinted out of the Ryuudou Temple gate, her bare feet pounding heavily on the stone ground. Glancing behind her, her eyes darting wildly, scanning her surroundings.

 _This shouldn't be happening._

Infinite numbers of stars embedded in the night sky, the only source of illumination that pierced the darkness that was consuming the lonely Mount Enzo. The spectacle the stars were providing that night was absolutely breath-taking.

A perfect night to watch a victim writhed in despair and pain at her feet before succumbing to death, Caster would have mused darkly, if it wasn't for the fact that she was currently in a life and death situation.

 _WHY?_

"…!"

The only answer she got from her unspoken question was an invisible sword enshrouded by wind that seemingly materialized from her left. Aiming straight at her head.

Caster's eyes widen, her heart felt like it ceased its beating. Although she was a Heroic Spirit, even she could hardly follow the swift and fluid motion of the sword (it doesn't help that it was invisible). Caster could feel the air beneath the parted under the might of the sword, descending like a blade of a guillotine, no doubt cleaving through her cranium like knife through butter…

Staring at seemingly inevitable death with dread-filled eyes, Caster did not realized what happened next would save her life, at least for the moment.

She tripped.

Normally, this would be rather embarrassing for Caster, being the former Princess of Colchis, such a way to avoid danger would hurt her pride as royalty. But now, at desperate times like this, surely beggars can't be choosers, can they? With her attention on the invisible sword, Caster did not realized that she had reached the first of the stone steps leading from the bottom of the mountain to the temple. The sudden change in land height caused Caster to lose her footing and with a yelp of surprise and fear, fell head-first down the steps.

She could vaguely hear the sound of metal striking against stone but Caster could not care less at the moment, for she was trying desperately to cover her body with her arms as she bounced down the steps like a barrel. She considered ending her descent, to stop the pain that erupted in her arms everything she landed on the steps, but she was too weak. She had spent some of her prana reserve holding off her enemy and she could not afford to waste any more precious energy on such actions. So she gritted her teeth in endurance as she rolled down the steps a few more times before sprawling unceremoniously on the stone landing.

Shaking her head to get rid of the dizziness that assaulted her, Caster quickly crawled to her back and turning to face the temple gate, just to see her pursuer descending down the stone steps like a gush of wind.

 _She's fast…_ Caster thought dumbly as her pursuer's metal boots clanked against the stone steps, her figure a blur. About a few metres away from Caster, the petite pursuer gave a barely audible 'hmph' as she leapt from the stone steps into the night sky, her armoured hands lifting the sword behind her head as gravity pulled her back to the Earth.

"HARRRGH!"

"D…Don't underestimate me!" Caster growled, though not as intimidating as she had hoped. Raising her gloved right hand, purple glows of pure magical energy began to encircle her hand.

"βίδες!"

Immediately, the area Caster was in an eerie purple glow as multitudes of purple lightning shot from her outstretched palm towards her descending pursuer.

If there were any normal Magus facing such an onslaught of magical bolts, they would pale at the raw power emitting from the attack, despite Caster's weak state.

However, to her pursuer, it was just a Tuesday.

Not a hint of fear or worry crossed her delicate feature as the invisible sword hacked and slashed away, causing the bolts to explode as it came into contact with the blade.

An observer far away from the mountain would have dismissively concluded that the light display at Mount Enzo was probably fireworks for a festival in Ryuudou Temple.

 _By the Gods…what does it takes to stop her?_ Caster grimaced as began to cease her useless attack, preferring to save whatever prana reserve she had left and watched helplessly as her pursuer eliminated the last of the magical bolts as easily as a squashing an ant with her finger.

Truthfully, Caster did not know whether to feel disappointed or pleased. On one hand, even in her abnormal and weak state, she felt that her power as a witch from the Age of Gods could not even hold a flame to the sheer dominating might from the sliver knight. It hurts her pride, quite badly in fact, that she could not even make her pursuer flinched at the danger she imposed to her. At that same time, she was glad that her decision to capture her pursuer hadn't been wrong. The knight was powerful, so powerful that it was miracle Caster had survived so long. If she had been struck down by the barrage of magical bolts fired at her, she would make a pretty useless ally, one Caster would discard as soon as she outlive whatever meagre use she has.

Realizing that her pursuer would soon be in striking range, Caster made a frantic dive out of the way just as the invisible sword struck the ground, causing a miniature crater. The force from the sword sent Caster flying, landing into a puddle of rainwater with a splash.

Her head hurt. Her arms hurt. Her feet hurt. Her _everywhere_ hurt. Groaning in pain and exhaustion, Caster's feeble arms barely managed to lift her upper body up, unintentionally looking at her reflection in the water.

She looked dreadful. Her battered hood has left her head, hanging behind her. The braids in her hair was undone, and her violet hair was messy and dirtied, with random strands of hair poking out her and there that gave the impression of bed hairs. Her face was bruised, though not that badly, and a tickle of blood slithered out of her nose. Her dress was torn, with several holes decorating it.

Pitiful.

Caster shut her eyes as tears began to well up in them and clenched her hands into a fist. Even after more than two thousand years, when the Gods are now memories of a past long gone, it still seems as though their presence has not left her side, constantly tinkering and toying with her life, to heap misfortunes one after the other, savouring gleefully at her reaction every time bad luck has befallen over her, watching, waiting to see how far she would endure before how mind slowly erode away into nothingness.

Why can't they leave her alone, let her live the life she always dreamed of. The Holy Grail was the chance she needed, to achieve her wish, but now…

The clanking of metal boots snapped Caster out of her self-pity. Slowly raising her damp face, she saw with increasing despair that her pursuer was calming approaching her. Adverting her eyes, she saw something to her right that brought a tingle of hope to her.

Rule Breaker. Her Noble Phantasm lay a short distance away from her. The jagged blade must have fallen out of her possession when the force of the sword sent her flying. She just need to stretch her arm a bit more…

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The cold feminine voice dashed her hopes into the rocks. No doubt another ploy by the Gods to amuse themselves seeing her fall into despair. Caster felt a prick on her throat and at once knew what it signify.

She has lost. And she is going to pay for her failure in obtaining the Holy Grail with death.

Caster retracted her quivering hand back in front of her, glaring at her pursuer with tear-stained eyes.

"Saber."

The knight did not flinched at the glare that was sent to her way, nor did she immediately respond. Saber's green eyes stared coldly into Caster's, the bangs of her blonde hair swayed in the gentle breeze, her girlish feature held no trace of emotion, only determination. The hand that gripped the invisible sword was as still as a stature.

The young knight radiated pureness and goodwill, of gallantness and nobility, of everything she once had but lost. Caster felt a pang of envy, and felt a need to corrupt this pure soul into something like she was now, yet at the same time, admired those qualities the knight possessed and lament of her loss.

"You put up a nice counterattack, but now this is your end, Servant of the Spell." Saber spoke, lifting her sword away from Caster's throat and above her head.

Caster drooped her head, a weary chuckle escaped her lips, tears slipping from her face and landed into the puddle of water. This is the end, it seems. No chance to seek the Holy Grail, no chance to have her wish granted, no chance to be with him…

If there is any way out of this this, to survive and continue the Holy Grail War, it would be a miracle, and Caster had been through enough misfortunes to know how unlik-

"WAIT!"


	2. Chapter 2

1

There is no such thing as a true hero.

The idea that a true hero exists is a delusion that mankind has so desperately clung onto, hoping against odds that the world is not as bleak and cruel as they saw it to be. That a person who bears no sins, whose thoughts are solely focused on the happiness and well-being of others, without considering any personal gain for themselves, actually draws breath.

Fools.

People always have an ulterior motive. Even the heroes of her time have motives for being 'heroes'. Wealth. Fame. Status. Royalty. Immortality. Godhood. Sure, some of their motives were nobler than others, but in the end they only care about themselves. Using others as stepping stones to achieve their goals. That was what she learnt after a lifetime of betrayal. Almost everyone she met acted kind to her, hoping to gain favours from her, promising to reward her for her efforts or sworn to help realize her own dreams and wishes, only to pull a fast one on her once she fulfilled her purpose. Abandoning her. Biting the hand that fed them.

Heh.

Only simpletons believe that true heroes exist…

….

 _3 weeks before the Ryuudou Temple Incident_

When she opened her eyes, the first time in centuries, the first thing she noticed was how elegant the dimly lit room she was in was.

It appeared to be a rather spacious study or an office. The walls were painted rose red, with an elegantly framed oil painting of what seemed to be a farm in a countryside hanging on the wall facing her. On her right, a large luxurious-looking love seat rested against the wall, tastefully matching the wall's color. A massive crystal Chandelier hung on the ceiling, proudly showing off its beauty to anyone who cared to look up at it. A waxed oak desk stood about 3 feet in front of her, with some ancient tomes and stationeries scattered messily on it.

And behind the desk, a young man stood silently.

To some people, the man could be considered beautiful. His short blond hair was combed and neatly trimmed, his blue eyes soft and gentle, his face so angelic and perfect that it rivalled that of a god's. Dressed in a plain white shirt, unbuttoned at the top that gave the barest glimpse of his well-toned chest, and an expensive gray suit and matching trousers, he gave off the air of grandeur and nobility, the kind of person teenage girls dreamed to be with.

But despite his refined exterior, Caster could sense malice emitting from the man like radiation. No amount of perfume could cover the stench of evil that clung onto him like a lover's embrace. It takes one to know the other.

The man leaned forward, his hands on the desk, scrutinizing the newly resurrected Servant. The way his wolfish eyes hungrily took in every detail of Caster's body made her feel uncomfortable and irritated, as if he was undressing her with his eyes, but she hid her displeasure. For now.

"I ask of you, are you my Master?" Caster intoned.

"That I am." The man replied, his voice as smooth as satin, the expression on his face gave the impression that he was meeting a long lost friend.

"I, Servant Caster, have come forth in response to your summons. Our contract has been completed. I swear, I will lead you to victory and obtain the Holy Grail."

The man sighed and made a motion with his hand that said 'Stop yapping already'. He moved away from the desk and slowly walked towards the motionless Caster, his hands behind his back.

"Yes, yes. Now for the more pressing matters. Are you Medea, the Witch of Betrayal?"

Caster flinched slightly, though it was hardly noticeable. It appears that how mankind thought of her had not change for the last two thousand years. It…brought a dull ache to her heart.

Still, she was surprised. She had not expected her Master to know her identity from the get go. Given her treacherous reputation, she had not believed that any mages would intentionally summon her to be their Servant.

"Yes, I am, Master. I assume you used a catalyst during the summoning ritual…?"

The man seemed visibly relieved and relaxed after hearing this news. "Excellent, that's good…" He bent down, picking something from the summoning circle Caster just realized she was standing on. Holding out his hand, she saw what appears to be wool between his fingers.

"This, my dear Servant, is a small piece of the Golden Fleece."

Caster gasped at this revelation, her gloved hand covering her mouth, as she stared at the allegedly Golden Fleece. Memories of days when she was the innocent Princess of Colchis flooded her mind, as if the dam that held back all those repressed memories suddenly burst open. Of her tranquil life on Colchis, of the first meeting with Jason and the Argonauts, of how deeply she fell for him, of murdering her brother Apsyrtus and cutting-

Caster's lips turned into a frown, and with some difficulties, phrased her next question.

"Where…Where did you obtained this?"

The man smirked, obviously enjoying the reaction Caster was displaying. "The Mage's Association have been collecting the esoterica of thaumaturgy for generations since ancient times. In other words, they have collected artefacts that can be used for the summoning of a Servant. I just need to place an order and presto! The Golden Fleece comes readily to my waiting arms."

The man gave a short laugh and began to walk in a circle around Caster. "Even so, summoning you using the Golden Fleece is a gamble. I mean, there are so many people associated with that piece of wool." Caster's frown deepen. "There's your father, King Aeetes, you, Ja-"

"I think I understand what you are getting at, Master." Caster interrupted, her head bowed.

"Oh dear, have I hit a nerve? My apologies." The man gave a faint chuckle. "Caster, about your Noble Phantasm…"

"…Yes, Master?" Caster did not lift her head.

"Are you…perhaps able to summon a dragon? Like the one which protects the Golden Fleece in your legend."

"I'm afraid not. Even if I managed to summon it, I would not be able to control it. We had a…fall out."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop all of a sudden.

"…Are you kidding me?"

"I never 'kid', Master."

"What about the fire breathing oxen?"

Caster did not replied, instead chose to look away.

By now, the man had returned to his original spot. He rubbed his temple, muttering something incoherent under his breath.

"Okay…okay, this may still be salvageable." The man said in a low cool voice, but Caster could feel the anger simmering beneath the words. "What, pray tell, is your Noble Phantasm?"

Silently, Caster pulled out an elaborately crafted jagged dagger from under her cloak. She had hoped to keep her Noble Phantasm a secret, to have an ace up her sleeves given how much this man irked her and how much he begged to be betrayed, but it seemed like that idea was but a dream. "This, Master, is Rule Breaker. It is capable of dispelling and destroying all kinds of thaumaturgy. Basically, it is the ultimate anti-magic Noble Phantasm."

Silence descended in the dark room, only to be shattered by a soft chuckle coming from the man.

"Heh…" A shadow casted across the man's face, hiding his expression from Caster. "So, that's what it does, is it? Heh ha ha ha…Of course it makes sense, of course, what else would I have expected…ha ha ha…"

Letting out a huge sigh, the man appeared to get a grip of himself and lifted up his right hand, where the unmistakable red Command Seals reside.

"By the power of the Command Seals, I ordered you, Caster, that I will receive no harm from your hands in any form or manner."

Caster felt fear paralyzed her. The tone he used when he spoke reminded her of a man reaching his breaking point. And his command-

"Master, I-"

"SHUT UP YOU USELESS PIECE OF SHIT!" Without warning, the man roared, lunging towards the startled Servant. His face out of the shadow, Caster could see the rage that twisted and marred his delicate countenance. His eyes were practically bulging from their sockets, spittle flying from his mouth, all resemblance of the man a few minutes ago vanishing without a trace.

The man took a step forward and did what Caster believed was one of the most unexpected and foolish thing to do.

He struck her.

Caster did not see it coming, though she should have when her Master, no, the _vermin_ , ordered her not to harm him. Yet she did not believe that he would do such a despicable act.

Caster felt the fist slammed into her left cheek, the golden ring with a ruby on his index finger digging painfully into her skin. With a yelp, Caster fell onto the ground.

"Did you know how much trouble I went just to obtain that measly piece of wool, huh?! How much paperwork, how much money I threw away?! I what do I get? A useless Servant that lack the ability to control the Divine Beasts in her legends, the key to securing victory, not to mention being capable of betraying me at any time! That's rich! That's fucking rich!" The man screamed, sending a kick to the downed Caster's stomach.

 _How dare he…!_ Caster's screamed internally, struggling to get up after being kicked in the stomach. To punch a being that was far superior to him, a being who could be called a god in this modern era, infuriated her to no end. The anger in her was like a lion in a cage, clawing to break free from its confinement to unleash its fury. Caster wouldn't mind torturing this arrogant man, slowly dissecting his body while he was alive and conscious into pieces, then fixing him back to normal before repeating the process until he die from the shock and pain, even if she would disappear from this world when her Master die. Unconsciously, magical energy began to glow ominously from her hands, giving the dark room a purple hue.

Unfortunately, the cursed Command Seal held her back, preventing her from exacting her revenge on the vermin in human skin.

Anger seemed to dispel from the man. Breathing heavily, he adjusted his suit before giving Caster a dirty look and spitting on the floor beside her. He then stormed pass her, opening a door and left without a word, slamming the door behind him.

Caster laid on the ground, not leaving the summoning circle and letting her head rest on the cold hard ground. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied upon the small piece of the Golden Fleece on the ground next to her, no doubt having fallen out of the man's hand during his rage. Reaching out, she delicately took the Golden Fleece and clasped it in her hands. The fleece had brought unpleasant memories of her past, but seeing something familiar from her time brought much needed comfort to Caster, however small it was. Gazing lovingly at the Golden Fleece, she spoke solemnly.

"He will die. By the Gods, he will feel the wrath of the Witch of Betrayal, and suffer pains that rivals that of Prometheus…"

Having made that vow, Caster curled into a tight ball and fell into a dreamless sleep, the drain from events a few minutes ago having caught up to her. Unknowingly, a single tear escaped from her eye and disappeared into her hood.

….

Shirou Emiya woke up with a start.

Groaning, he pushed himself up into a sitting position on his futon. Pale moonlight trickled from the inky night sky and played against the windowsill, casting a silver veil over the 17 year old boy. Anyone looking at this scene would comment how 'heavenly-looking' Shirou looked, though the 'Fake Janitor of Homurahara' would smile kindly and brush them off.

Rubbing his tired eyes, Shirou stared weary at the digital alarm clock propped beside his tatami. The numbers '00 13' stared blankly back at him.

"It's just past midnight…" Shirou muttered to himself. It was only when he heard his own voice that he realized how empty the Emiya Residence was at night. Devoid of any human life except for him.

Ever since Kiritsugu Emiya left this plane of existence, Shirou had always been living in this enormous mansion all by himself. The vast number of rooms that lack any occupants in the mansion further enhanced this sense of loneliness. If it wasn't for Fuji-Nee and Sakura constantly visiting his house without fail, Shirou was certain he would go mad from the solitary.

He missed his old man. True, he wasn't his actual father, but he had saved him from the Hell on Earth a decade ago, provided him with a roof above his head, the basic necessities of life, education, and of course, revealing the world of magic to him.

Sure, learning the fact that his old man was a Magus and being taught by him on the subject was cool and all, but the most important thing that Kiritsugu provided him was a goal in life.

To be a champion of justice.

It gave him motivation to live, to replace whatever goals and dreams he had in his previous life that was burnt to crisp by the inferno, to enable him to atone his sin of being the only survivor in the-

Shaking his head, Shirou paused that train of thought. Reminiscing the past can wait, he need to figure out what woke him up all of sudden. It wasn't any noise that disturbed his slumber, it was a gut feeling…call it the sixth sense or the first sign of insanity or whatever, he sworn he felt great sadness and pain from someone, somewhere…

As much as he hate to do so, he could not help that 'person', if that gut feeling was even true. There was no way he could learn the identity of this 'person' in distress, if he truly exist. Even Shirou knew his limitation.

Or at least he believed he did.

Sighing with resignation, Shirou reluctantly eased himself back onto his futon, an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. As he slowly drifted back to sleep, a single thought crossed his mind.

 _I will be a true hero, a champion of justice, old man. Shirou Emiya will never forget of his promise._


	3. Chapter 3

2

 _Three weeks_ _be_ _fore the Ryuudou Temple incident_

When Caster reached the bottom of the stairs, she found herself in the dining room.

A long table, enough to comfortably fit around ten people, stretched before her, covered with a dining cloth as white as driven snow. Large antique weapons adorned the walls, from medieval swords to maces, giving a surreal feeling that this room felt more like a weaponry than a place to eat one's meal.

At the head of the table, eating a Western breakfast, sat her Master. Beside him, stood two women in maid uniform. Judging from their blank stares and pale skin, she concluded that they were most likely homunculi.

Silence prevailed in the room, only to be occasionally disrupted by slurping and munching sounds coming from the man, who seemed to have not noticed Caster's appearance. Caster simply stood there, watching the pig devouring with a disgusted look on her face.

After what's seemed like an eternity, the man looked up and upon seeing his quiet Servant, frowned, before replacing it with a smile.

"Ah, Caster. Have a seat." He motioned towards the chair opposite from him.

"I prefer to stand." Caster replied emotionlessly.

The edge of the man's mouth twitched a little, but he continued to address Caster 'warmly'. "Whatever suits you." He cut a piece of bacon with a knife and placed in in his mouth. Caster noted that her seat had no meal prepared for her. Although she had no need for food to survive, the way the man was eating in front of her made her draw parallel to an arrogant wealthy man eating his meal in front of his starving slave.

"I would like to apologize for what happened last night."

"Oh?" Caster raised her eyebrows in amusement.

"I know we've gotten off the wrong foot last night, but let's bygone be bygone, alright? I was just a little…surprised and I let my temper consumed me." Caster knew that the man was anything but apologetic, he was probably trying to mend the wounds in their relationship so that he could sleep better at night without worrying about her killing him. Well, she shall play along, giving the man a sense of false security before striking him down.

"Think nothing of it. It was my fault for not meeting up to your expectation after all, so your rage was justifiable. I should be the one apologizing." Saying that, Caster gave a small bow, while her eyes were fixed onto the man's face.

The smug grin on his handsome face made Caster want to do nothing more than to rip his limb piece by piece, and would have done so too if it wasn't for that meddling Command Seal.

"Now I would like to introduce myself, given the…circumstances last night I wasn't able to. My name is Victor Alazka, an inspiring Magus from the Mage's Association. My family is new to the Mage's Association, thus the reason I'm joining the Holy Grail War is to gain prestige for myself. I have the money and resources to ensure that I will win the war, and of course for you to achieve victory."

"And how are you going to do that?" Caster asked, intrigued.

"My family specialized in a curse that used human sacrifices to convert into pure prana, which can be used to boost your prana reserve. After all, your class is one of the weakest, isn't it? So you will need all the help you can get from me."

Caster frowned. "Human…sacrifices?"

The man snorted. "Oh, don't act so surprised! Don't you indulgent in such inhumane acts in your past? I just kidnapped some kids from countries where homeless children roam rampage or buy them from families who could not afford to take care of their child. You used human sacrifices too for your diabolic mumbo-jumbo, right. So don't give me that look!"

Hidden in her robes, Caster's hands balled into fists. "I wouldn't deny it," She spoke quietly, "But the humans I used are those who wronged me, who used me, who deserved to die for their sins." Her voice began to get louder. "You, on the other hand, used innocent children, children that had not wronged you in any ways! Even though I am a murderer, I wouldn't murder indiscriminately-!"

"Oh for the love of God, stop trying to pretend!" Alazka stood up, slamming his hand on the table aggressively. "You are a goddam traitorous witch! Your legend states NOTHING of you doing such things! Don't try to act all righteous and everything! I know your true color, you bitch! So stop trying to act as though you have any redeemable quality and preaching me on what's right and wrong!"

…

…

"I see." The hood seemed to cover her face even more than usual, rendering her facial feature hidden. "So that's how you view me."

Another silence.

"I would like to visit your workshop later, so call me when you are done with your breakfast. Until then, _Master._ "

Slowly, Caster faded into astral form, leaving Alazka alone with his motionless maids. With a roar of fury, he slammed his fist onto the table.

"DAMN IT!"

…

 _Two weeks_ _before the Ryuudou Temple incident_

"KOTOMINE!"

The heavy wooden doors that served as the entrance of the Fuyuki Church threw open with a screech, revealing a very angry blonde hair man.

The man scanned the seemingly deserted church quickly, and seeing that the person he sought for was not present, he scowled. Being in the place devoted to The Lord did little to calm the man's nerves, instead it had the opposite effect. He desired no more than to leave this church, this 'holy' place, immediately, and would have done so if not for the pressing matters at hand.

"KOTOMINE! I KNOW YOU ARE HERE SOMEWHERE! SHOW YOURSELF!" The man yelled at the top of his lungs and began stomping down the aisle like he owned the place, his voice reverberating in the empty church. _Damn it, he better be here, I can't afford to waste any more time! That's bitch isn't stupid, she's bound to find out-!_

"My, my, there is no need to shout, my dear Victor." A deep voice answered his calls, as a door beside the pulpit opened and a man promptly walked out.

Dressed in a cassock and a black buttomless coat, the priest of this church, Kirei Kotomine, was an imposing man, standing around six foot tall. His hair appeared to be left untouched for a long time, having grown till it reached the base of his neck. A crow nest is what most people who met him described his hair to be like. His face was rather bland, with the exception of his lips and eyes. His lips either exist to form a frown of displeasure or a smile with the tiniest hint of arrogance, and his eyes... his eyes were dull and lifeless. Even a cadaver's eyes appear more vibrant than his.

Kotomine gave the man what was considered a friendly smile, though any young children would burst out in tears upon seeing it.

"What brought you to this humble church in the dead of night, Victor? Could it be that you are here to confess your sins?"

Alazka glared at the priest and returned his smile with a snarl. "Shut up, you fucking priest! I have no time to play with any of your games!"

Kotomine shook his head and sighed. "Language, Victor. We can't afford to tarnish this holy church with such vile words, can we?"

"You know why I'm here for! Stop acting ignorant!" Alazka roared, taking a step closer to the smirking priest. Sweat popped out from his skin like oil from water and the way his nails are digging into his quivering hands caused the priest to surmise that the man was nearly reaching a nervous breakdown.

 _Such despair is truly…intoxicating…_

"In other words, you seek not of salvation from Him, but salvation from me? Hm, never would I thought I would see a Magus like you would beg for help from a lowly priest like me again."

Alazka waved his hand irritably, as though trying to wave away the priest's condescending tone. "As much as I _loathed_ to, considering you are the mediator of this Holy Grail War, you are the only one I can turn to! So you gotta help me! That's your job isn't it?!"

With an amused chuckle, Kotomine motioned Alazka to sit at one of the pews at the centre of the church before following suit. Easing himself to the pew where Victor was sitting, the priest turned to the fidgeting Master.

"I would suggest you calm down first before you tell me your woes."

"Calm down?" Victor's eyes widened, as though the words are foreign to him. "Calm down?! There's no time! Sooner or later, she is gonna catch wind of what I'm doing-"

"She?" Kotomine interrupted, an eyebrow rose inquisitively.

"My Servant! Caster! Medea!" The Master of Caster cried in a mixture of anger and frustration, immediately shooting out of his seat like a jack-in-the-box. "She's gonna betray me! I can feel it in my bones! She is going to stab me in my sleep! She-!"

"Ah, Medea, yes, I remembered you informing me that you received the catalyst for her summoning a week or so ago." The priest interrupted yet again, a calm look on his face, as though the mad raving from the man standing beside him did little to unruffled him.

"You recommended her to me you bastard-!"

"And I see that you took my advice."

"So now you have to fix this mess!"

Kotomine smiled at the man, soaking in the despair the man was displaying. "Why don't you take a seat and tell me what went wrong."

Victor fell heavily onto the pew, a defeated look on his face, all the energy he displayed earlier have vanished.

"You…you say that she might be able to summon the dragon of Colchis as her Noble Phantasm, right? That such a Divine Beast would make quick work out of the other Servants, or at least give Berserker a run for his money. After you told me that, I did a bit of research at the Clock Tower library and confirmed that there is a dragon in her legend. So I ordered a piece of the Golden Fleece from the Mage's Association and left for this backwater country. Upon reaching my villa in Fuyuki City, I've managed to summon her. But to my _horror_ , not only does that bitch unable to control the dragon, she has a Noble Phantasm that negates all forms of thaumaturgy, which means-!"

"She is able to break the Master and Servant bond. Truly, a fitting Noble Phantasm for one who is called the Witch of Betrayal." Kotomine mused, nodding to himself.

"Whatever! It just to show that she is a back stabbing witch who has no care for human life, and one who have the perfect tool to do so! She hates me, I can tell, she hates me with a passion! When I showed her my workshop and demonstrated the retrieval of prana from human sacrifices, she commented that it was too inefficient and ordered me to shut down my workshop! Can you believe it?I cannot work with such a treacherous being, let along win the Holy Grail War together! I need your help in getting rid of her!"

"You want _me_ to eliminate her?"

"Yes!" Alazka jumped out of his seat again, filled with maniacal passion. "That's _exactly_ it! As long as I have the Command Seals, I can forge a new contract with another Servant, right? So there's need for her to exist anymore!"

A deep laughter echoed around the tiny church, but there was no humour in it.

"I'm afraid that the chance of me to defeat a Servant is nigh impossible. As a former Executor of the Church, I _might_ be able to go toe to toe with a low level Servant, or against a class like Assassin, but to take out a Magus from the Age of the Gods? A foolish dream." Kotomine smiled 'warmly' at the trembling man, watching with sadistic joy as the hope he had begun to crumble. "Fortunately, Lancer's Master from the Mage's Association, isn't she? I have a feeling that she might be willing to help out a fellow Magus and get rid of one of the competition."

Victor's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah…That Bazett whatever-her-face, she is in the war too! Shit! I've forgotten about her!"

Kotomine could only sigh and rub his temple at the idiocy as this Master. "Anyway, I will contact her about this. When do you want to have your Servant vanquished?"

"As soon as possible! About," Alazka gave a quick glance at his branded watch on his left hand. "About an hour later, when I get back to my villa. I want to watch that vixen die in agony if possible." With the main problem out of the way, the Master seemed to regain his joyous behaviour.

"Very well, I shall tell her so. By the way, there are three classes that are currently vacant. Saber, Rider, Archer and Assassin. Wait here." Without another word, the priest left his seat and entered the door where he came from a few minutes ago, leaving a surprised Alazka alone in the church.

Alazka had a genuine smile on his face for what seems like the first time in days. Finally, he would remove the pest that had been ruining his life. The bitch acted all high and mighty, ordering what he should or should not do. It infuriated him to no end. Although she is the superior Magus, how dare she ordered him around?! He's the Master, goddamn it, and she's the Servant! She has the no right-!

"My apologies for leaving you so abruptly." A voice caused a startled Alazka to nearly jump into the air. Snapping out of his thoughts, he turned to see the priest emotionless smile, and something in his hand.

"This is for you." Kotomine stated simply, holding out the object to the man. With a wary glance at the priest, Alazka carefully took the object from his hand.

"What the hell is this? A piece of rock?"

"…It appalled me to found out that a refined man like you couldn't differentiate marble from rock."

"Shut up." Alazka growled and he slowly examined the piece of artefact. It was rather plain, with a few cracks here and there that marred the marble's white surface. The only notable feature is that it had some small writings on it, though it seemed to be written by a child: ναός του φιδιού.

"This, Victor, is a piece of a temple from an island just off the coast of Greece." Kotomine explained, taking a seat as he did so.

Alazka took his eyes off the marble and glared suspiciously at the priest. "You are giving me a catalyst to summon my new Servant? The last time you recommended a catalyst to me it screwed me over! Why should I trust you?!"

"You don't. However, think about your situation. You 'lack' of a Servant right now, considering Caster who is going to be dead if all went well. You can simply summon a Servant without a catalyst right now and let the Grail chose a Servant that best fit your personality, though given yours, I wouldn't think about it if I were you." Victor shot a death glare at the priest for that insult, but Kotomine chose to ignore it. "You could go back to London and order a new catalyst or just have one delivered to you from overseas, but that would take too long, wouldn't it? And the longer a Master lacks a Servant, the more likely he would be killed. It wouldn't take long for other Masters to realize your identity and by then, the Holy Grail War would just be an unreachable dream. I apologize for the miscalculation on my part when I assumed that Medea would be able to summon and control a dragon, but I assure you, you would definitely not be disappointed with who you get."

Alazka grinded his teeth in frustration. The damn priest has a point, but he still felt a nagging feeling that he shouldn't trust this man, just like the first time he met him in the same church. He had come to Fuyuki City back when he had received his Command Seals to check out the place where the war would be held in. It was a rather lacklustre place, other than the fact that it was a place with strong magical energy. He had heard that the mediator of the current war resided in the Fuyuki Church and paid him a visit. He did not like that church; it gave him a deep sense of foreboding and dread. The creepy priest did not help its image either. Regardless, he started a conversation with the priest and in the middle of it, had expressed his frustration in choosing a suitable Heroic Spirit as his Servant. With a strange glint in his eyes, the priest suggested Medea, though from his tone he sounded as though he wasn't serious. But Victor took it to heart (he told the priest off for suggesting a Heroic Spirit for him, he wasn't going to thank that damn priest) and went back to London to research on her. Though he found her legend… _unsavoury_ at best, he was willing to have the benefit of doubt.

And look where it got him.

"Who will I summon with this?" he asked.

With a mysterious smile, the priest replied with a small shrug. "I only know that there are three individuals linked to this catalyst, that's all. I'm afraid I cannot provide you with more details."

 _You know more than you let on, you lying bastard._ "Another question. Why do you _even_ have this with you? Why are you giving it to me?"

"You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but if you are really curious, so let's put as a _coincidence.'_

Alazka felt like screaming at the smug bastard. The priest's story has more holes than a Swiss cheese and from his expression, he knew it. And he knew that Alazka knew, making the Master felt more and more like he was being toyed with.

Alazka slipped the piece of marble into his trouser pocket and turn on his heel. "I have no time to deal with you, Kotomine. Just make sure to relay the message to Lancer's Master."

"Of course. I will do so right away. i wish you the best of luck." The priest stood up and watched as the man stomped out of the church and slamming the door behind him.

"Heh. Fool."

Standing motionless, he spoke solemnly.

"Lancer."

Behind him, a pony tailed man in blue bodysuit covered in runes materialized behind him, lazily twirling a blood-red lance in his hand.

"Yeah, I heard it, old man."

….

The villa was eerily quiet.

Alazka walked cautiously down the dark hallway leading to his bedroom, the moonlight through the windows providing the minimal illumination. Although the homunculus were not the most talkative bunch, there should be some noise produced as they attend the household chores. He tried calling them, but there was no response.

Nothing.

The lights seemed to stop working too, no matter what he did they refused to turn back on, leaving the villa almost pitch black. His survival instinct was practically pleading him to leave, to escape this villa, there is something wrong, something terribly wrong in here, but he pushed it aside and carry on, his echo of his footsteps the only noise in the villa.

Why did he marched on? He didn't know. It was as though something compelled him forward. Crutching the marble in his pocket, he continued forward.

 _Splash._

"Hm?" Alazka looked down, and what he saw chilled him to the bone.

Blood.

On the floor, where his shoe had stepped on.

The fear he felt was not because he felt repulsive of the blood, but because of the common knowledge that blood, especially in such large quantity, is never good news.

 _Calm down, Victor, calm down. There's nothing to worry about, nothing at all…_

Attempting to reduce his quickened heartbeat, he observed the blood had left a trail, leading to his bedroom just a few steps away.

His mind blank, he slowly opened the door to his bedroom, only to see-

"What in the name-"

"Ah, Master, it's good to see you back. I was so worried when I couldn't find you in your bed."

Hovering a few feet above the ground, was his Servant Caster.

She was in a seating position, her hands placed delicately on her lap. Her robes flow freely behind her and seemed to engulf the room. She was looking down at him, a predatory smile on her bloodstained face. And beside her, on his king-sized bed…

"Oh my God…"

Corpses of the homunculus he created stared blankly at him. They were piled up onto the bed, their blood caused the white bedsheet to turned crimson red.

"Caster." Alazka stared at his Servant, his voice sounding pathetically weak to him. "What…is the meaning of this?"

"I took it upon myself to dismantle your workshop when you left all of a sudden." Caster replied sweetly, her eyes filled with mirth. "It's just that your slaves felt like it would be wise to stop me. How wrong they were."

"You…you…WHAT!?" Alazka screamed, his eyes bulging from his socket, all fear gave way to anger.

"Oh, I'm sorry." A regretful look crossed the Servant's face. "I have forgotten to inform you first. That would at least save all those lives lost…" She turned her head towards the pile of homunculus and sighed.

"Caster…" He couldn't take it anymore. He wouldn't wait for Lancer to kill her. He had reached his breaking point.

This bitch has to die, now.

Raising his right hand, Alazka intoned, "By the power of the Command Seals, I order you, Caster, to end your life right now!"

….

…

Nothing.

"Ah HAHAHAHA!" Caster threw back her head and let out a chilling laugh. "What's wrong, worm? Is something not working?"

"What?" Alazka stared at his hand in disbelief and terror. "What's going on!? Why is it not working?!" One of the Command Seals vanished, but she isn't dead yet!

"Foolish man," Caster floated closer to Alazka, who began to back away unconsciously. "Have you forgotten my Noble Phantasm?"

"I know! But you…I ordered you not to hurt me! That Noble Phantasm would cut me if you used it on me, so how…?!"

"Silly me, I forgot to tell you. My Noble Phantasm can be used on both Masters and Servants, which means," Alazka eyes widen in fear at this realization. "I used it on myself and sever the pact formed between us."

He didn't stay and listen to the entire thing.

Alazka bolted out of the room, though he didn't get far.

Almost immediately, his feet felt like lead, too heavy for him to even lift it up. The sudden change in his feet caused him to trip and fall face-first to the ground. Quickly, scrambled to his knee, only to see Caster standing before him, the accursed dagger in her hand.

"Hmmm, let's see where shall we start…how about we start with the hand, or maybe the fingers? Should I go fast or go slow." Caster mused, the sadistic smile on her face caused Alazka to go almost mad with fear.

"Please! W-wait! I-I'm sorry! Please, have mercy, Medea! We...we still can work things out, right? There is no need to be hasty!" The former Master of Caster babbled, tears streaming now his fearful face as he attempted to crawl away.

"One thing you should know, worm, the Witch of Betrayal shows no mercy."

With a blink of an eye, Caster slashed her dagger downwards, cleanly slicing through the man's left hand.

"Ah…ah?" Alazka stared at the stump where his hand was just a second ago with childlike wonderment, as though his brain had not processed what just happened.

Looking at the blood spurting out of the man's hand, Caster let out a gleeful laugh. It just feel like the old days, torturing and killing those who had wronged her, watching them pleaded for their life…

Seeing that the man was still in shock and has not moved an inch, Caster slowly raised her dagger once more…

Only for a red streak of light to slash her side.

"Wha-"Caster gave out a cry of surprise before crumbling to her knees, pain consuming her body. Crutching the side of her body which was bleeding profusely, she looked up with teared eyes to see her assailant.

"Man, I was hoping for Saber or something." The blue Servant, Lancer from the looks of the red spear in his hand, sighed as he approached her. "Although it kinda hurts my pride, I gotta kill a weakened enemy like you." Lancer raised his spear towards Caster, his lips turned into a feral grin. "Now are you going to go quietly, or do you want to make things more interesting…?"

"Stay…out of this…" Caster growled, wincing as she did so. _Why is he here? Could it be that the worm has something to do with him?_

"No can do, lady. Orders are orders." Lancer smirked before lunging forward, his spear ready in his hand.

"βίδες!" Caster cried out as purple streaks of light shot out towards Lancer.

Lancer, without missing a beat, easily dodged the first few shots before rapidly swinging his spear in a diagonal arc, slashing any that bolts that came his way, all the while continuing his advancement towards the kneeing Caster.

"Sorry lady, I don't understand what ya saying!" Lancer yelled, slashing the last few bolts in his way before thrusting his spear towards Caster. "It sounded all Greek to me!"

 _This is bad!_ Caster knew that her prana reserve were quite low from using her Noble Phantasm on herself a while ago, and there is no way she could handle Lancer in a one on one fight, given his high Magic Resistance, so that means a tactical retreat-!

Just as the spear was just inches away from her throat, Caster gave desperate cry and raised her arms into the heavens.

"μεταφορά!"

A flash of purple light, and Caster disappeared, leaving Lancer's spear cutting thin air and smoke

"…Argh, that's so anticlimactic. That's why I hate fight-"

"ARRRGHHH! MY HAND! OH MY GOD! MY HAAAANNNNNDDDDD!"


	4. Chapter 4

3

 _Two weeks_ _before the Ryuudou Temple incident_

Death.

Vengeance.

Pain.

Betrayal.

Those were the words swirling in the murky depth of Caster's mind as she stumbled along the muddy path.

She did not know where she was. Seeing Lancer's spear edging closer towards her caused her survival instinct to kick in. She teleported away to distance herself from the blue spearman as far as possible, but in her panic, she did not specifically think of a location.

All she knew was that she had teleported into a forested area, on a mud path, to be precise. Picking her exhausted self up, Caster crutched the unwanted bloody present Lancer gave her on their very first meeting and started down the beaten path.

The luminous full moon peeked behind the cover of the canopy of trees, bathing the battered Servant in a glow of angelic light. However, Caster felt no joy in feeling the warm moonlight enveloping her tired body, not even being in the presence of Hecate, the embodiment of the moon and the goddess she had worshipped back in the past, could lift her miserable mood.

She was going to die, fade away into nothingness, becoming nothing more than a memory of a sickening vile man. She had accepted that fact when she used her Noble Phantasm on herself, knowing that doing so would cut off her supply of prana which is vital for her to exist in this world.

Losing her chance to win the Holy Grail.

Caster's foot got caught on a tree root, causing her to nearly trip and fall. She managed to catch her footing at the last moment, at the cost of excruciating pain clawing at her wound.

 _Damn it!_ Tears welled up in the Servant's eyes as she felt to her knees, the pain robbing her ability to stand and walk. She could have sworn that the wound had teared a little: she desperately hoped it had not.

Her knees on the mud, Caster gritted her teeth as she applied more pressure on the wound on her hip, trying her best to stop the bleeding that had started again. It was pointless. No matter how pressure she applied, no matter how much pain she endured, it just wouldn't stop. She had tried to use some healing spells on herself, but the desired results were almost non-existence.

"…Could it be that the lance was cursed?" Caster muttered to herself, before letting out a weak laugh. Her laughter was cut short when she began coughing, blood flying out of her mouth and splattering on the ground.

Weakly wiping the blood from her mouth, Caster stared at the crimson blood on the ground. It seemed that her hypothesis was right; the lance was indeed cursed. No simple slash from a normal lance on a non-vital part of her body would cause so much damage. She need to find a way to-

Caster gave out another throaty laugh, a laugh not full of joy or humour, but one full of despair and sorrow. Why did she care about healing the cursed wound? Why did she even bother to think whether the spear Lancer had was cursed or not? Even if she healed the wound, she was going to die anyway. There was not much time left to find a magus to form a contract with in this huge city and besides, who would want her? A Servant who could easily betray her Master any time she see fit to?

It must have been self-preservation. Some foolish part of her mind still refused to accept the fact that death was inevitable for her, some futile attempt to believe that there might be a chance...if she persevere…

No. There was no hope for her. There was never one to begin with. Foolishly clinging onto straws like a drowning man, how delusional has she become!

A sharp pain torn through Caster's body as she allowed her knees to crumble and fall heavily face-first on the ground. The mud felt cool against her warm cheeks. With a grunt, she turned herself gently until she's face up.

She's going to die. Surprisingly, the thought did not made her fear for her life, instead, it brought a strange serenity over her. She should have known that the odds were against her from the very moment of her summoning. She should have known that there wasn't a second chance in living a life free from manipulation on herself and others. She should have known that her plan to obtain the Holy Grail would fail. Even her plan to kill that worm failed miserably.

"Could the Gods at least give me the pleasure of killing that vermin before I die?" Caster sighed as she pulled her hood off her head with some difficulty, revealing her face to the whole world for the first time in centuries.

Soft blue eyes and thin lips adorned her porcelain like face. Her hair, which had been braided on one side, was a rich shade of purple. Her countenance had a youthful look to it, yet seemed to have a sense of maturity of one who has seen much and lose much. Such beauty seemed out of place for someone who was deemed a horrible witch.

Caster slipped her hand into her robes and brought out the small piece of the Golden Fleece, and lifted the hand holding it. With the full moon as the background, Caster felt a pang of nostalgia deep in her blackened heart. She had been a devoted follower of Hecate, the goddess of the moon, thus seeing the moon with the Golden Fleece in her hand had finally brought her comfort she never had a short while ago.

"Farewell." Caster gave a sad smile, too tired to even cry anymore as strength began to ebb from her arm, causing it to for to her side with a soft 'thump'. Slowly and silently, she fell into blissful oblivion.

Death.

Vengeance.

Pain.

Betra-

…...

Souichirou Kuzuki felt his heart stopped briefly for the first time in his life.

He stood there, silent and stoic, as he watched the woman lying on the ground dropped her arm to her side.

The teacher did not know why, but a strange feeling emerged from the abyss of his empty and dead soul for the first time, felt something akin to a spark of life as he gazed at the fallen woman. Kuzuki had no idea who she was (he had never seen her before in his two years stay in Fuyuki City) or the strange garb she wore, but he did not questioned it. The answers to those question is irrelevant to him and thus, should not be pursued.

He had heard what she had said when he found her lying on the ground quite a distance away, thanks to years of training as an assassin. He did not understand what she had said, something about revenge, but he did not care.

The strange feeling continued to blossom in his chest, a feeling he could not comprehend. All he know about this new emotion that it was born when he first laid his eyes on her. Could it be some sort of message, signalling him to approach her?

With light footsteps, Kuzuki made his way to the woman cautiously. It's best to be careful, no matter the circumstances, in case in was some trap. His training as an assassin had taught him so.

Eyeing at the mysterious woman, he could see that she was not pretending to be unconscious, judging from her shallow breathing. He stared stoically at the woman's beautiful face without admiring it. Her face seemed like a foreigner, definitely not Asian. And her ears…they looked sharper and pointier than a normal human's ears…

Even in the dim moonlight, the teacher could see the blood on her dress and the wound being exposed from the slash in her dress. The wound was not too serious, but the woman looked so weak, as though the brief candle of her life could be snuffed out any time. Kuzuki could only assumed that a poisoned blade might be the cause for her wound.

Looking down at the woman's face again, Kuzuki noticed a melancholy smile on her feature that wasn't there just now. It was a small and rather insignificant, but the impact on Kuzuki was unimaginable. That smile, he had seen it on the face of many of his victims he had killed. When facing inevitable death, with no way to escape, some of his victims accepted their fate and gave him that same smile before he ended their life.

It was a smile of defeat and resignation.

Something snapped in his mind.

Kuzuki removed his tie and pressed it on her wound, using it as a temporary gauze. The woman winced a little, but made no sign of waking up. Gently, the teacher slipped his arms under the woman's body and lifted her up, carrying her bridal-style. He ensured that the woman's body was pressing against his so that pressure could be applied to the wound without using his hands. For a woman of her height, she was surprisingly light as a feather.

Kuzuki stared emotionlessly at the smile on her face before looking up at the road ahead of him. Fortunately, the temple was just a short distance away, meaning that the woman could seek medical help from the head priest much quickly. Kuzuki knew not of the force that compelled him to commit such an act, he had never particularly cared for any human life, but seeing the woman's chest rose slightly with each breath and feeling the warmth from her light body, he knew he was doing the right thing.

Little did he know that bringing this woman, enshrouded in mystery, to the temple itself was one of the greatest services he had done for her, nor the tremendous impact it had on his life.

….

 _Eleven days_ _before the Ryuudou Temple incident_

Rin Tohsaka was everything her female classmates dreamed to be.

Tall, smart, gorgeous, famous…it was as if she was the perfect human being, gracing the common people with her presence in this simple academy.

Nobody knew that the Rin Tohsaka they were seeing and admiring was nothing more than a façade and a well-maintained one too.

There were days when Rin would look longingly at her fellow schoolmates, living a peaceful life, having a family, with no worries or problems except for homework or maintaining a relationship with the opposite gender.

She did not have such luxuries, however. She, as the head of the Tohsaka family, one of the three families who created the Holy Grail War, and the land owner of Fuyuki City, had mountains of problems to deal with, leaving her practically like a zombie almost every time before she went to bed. She didn't really have a family anyone, living in the huge mansion alone; her father was killed in the previous Holy Grail War, though she had no clue on the identity of his killer, her mother died a few years ago, finally finding peace from years of insanity, Kirei Kotomine, the less said about him, the better, and Sakura…Sakura…

Rin sighed as she finished packing her bag up. It's best not to think of such thoughts. She can't let her mind be affected by those thoughts, after all, she need to make sure that her mind is in the most perfect condition during the Holy Grail War. If she let her mind wander off, she would be an easy target for any Master or Servant, and she definitely did not want that.

The school bell which signalled the end of school had just rang a few minutes ago and all of her classmates had made a beeline for the classroom doors, leaving Rin alone lost in thought in an empty classroom. Picking her bag up wordlessly, she headed for the exit, her mind unconsciously started wandering off again.

Kirei had left a voice message early that morning, nagging at her to quickly summon her Servant. Rin did not need to be reminded and she had no desire to listen to the fake priest's arrogant voice, so she ended the message before it had finished. While she felt no love for the priest, she at least thanked him in her heart for a vital information he had provided. It seemed that the Servants that had not yet been summoned are Saber, Archer and Assassin. Thankfully, the Servant class she had been rooting for remained unsummoned. Better to be safe than sorry. Rin intended to summon her Servant as soon as possible, hopefully by tonight, if not tomorrow night.

With a small smile on her face, Rin exited the classroom, only to bump into someone.

"Hey!" She yelled indignantly, before realizing how excited her voice sounded and quickly clamped her mouth shut, putting on the look of a composed honour student. In her mind, she berated herself for letting her emotion go unchecked, potentially ruining her well-maintained façade. Brushing her coat in an elegant manner befitting of the head of the Tohsaka family, she faced the person who carelessly bumped into her.

Her mood dampened.

In front of her, rubbing the sleeve of his uniform with an irritated look on his face, was Shinji Matou.

The boy glared at her with unconcealed hatred, a frown etched on his face. It seemed that he was still mad at her rejection to his advancements in the morning.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Shinji Matou-kun, I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings," Rin apologized with exaggerated courtesy, a smirk on her face. She never took a liking for the smug bastard, seeing him act all high and mighty in school, surrounded by giggling girls irked her to no end. The fact that he was a Matou doesn't help either. She could only imagine how much her sis- Sakura suffered under his massive ego. The fact that he was a Matou doesn't help either.

Instead of barking at her for her insolence, the boy muttered, "Just get out of my way," before pushing pass her and continued down the corridor.

Rin raised an eyebrow. That's unusual. She knew Matou as a loud bully who would tease and humiliate anyone whenever the opportunity presented itself, so hearing him speaking so softly and disinterestedly surprised her. Then again, the boy looked worse for wear compared to this morning. His eyes had a tired and dazed look, his purple wavy hair matted on his pale sweaty forehead, his lips were trembling slightly…he either wasn't in the mood or lack the energy. Rin had no idea what had transpired, but obviously something must have happened to reduce the energetic boy to such state.

"Hmph." Rin huffed as she resumed walking. Now isn't the time to worry about Matou, she had many more important things to worry about.

The head of the Tohsaka family continued down the corridor, unaware that the boy she had bumped into was watching her back.

Reaching the stairway, she saw the school student council president, Issei Ryuudou descending down the stairs side by side with her red-head classmate, Shirou Emiya. Issei just so happened to turn his head back and upon seeing Rin's expressionless face, a sour look crossed his face. Slinging his arm over Shirou's shoulder, he gripped his friend shoulder tightly and attempted to walk faster, dragging Shirou along.

"H-Hey! Issei! What's gotten into you!?" Shirou cried out as he nearly tripped, flailing his arms wildly, having caught by surprise from his friend sudden increase in speed.

"Nothing, Emiya. I just wish to reach home early. At this pace we are walking, it would take me be twice the time I usually need." Issei muttered out a reply, his eyes straight forward, avoiding eye contact with the bemused girl behind them.

Rin wanted to giggle at the comical display of Shirou struggling to keep up with Issei, but chose to remain silent.

"Jeez, what are you talking about? Let go!" With a grunt, Shirou slipped under his friend's arm and in the process, saw Rin walking behind them.

"Ah, um, hey, Tohsaka." Shirou seemed to blush a little, a goofy smile on his face. He adverted his eyes a bit, as though the girl before was a goddess who no mortal man could ever lay their eyes on. Issei, on the other hand, was not pleased, his scowl told Rin that much.

"Hello, Emiya-kun, Ryuudou-kun." Rin greeted them without displaying any emotions.

"Tch. What do you want, vixen?" Issei glared at her accusingly, his glasses glinting in the evening sunlight.

"Oi, Issei…"Shirou looked at his friend disapprovingly. Issei paid no attention to him, continuing to glare Rin down.

Rin brushed back one of the ponytail from her shoulder and looked squarely at the fuming boy. "Nothing, Ryuudou-kun. I just thought that greeting others when seeing them is a basic sign of respect and courtesy, is it not? Don't worry, I bare no ill will to either of you, so there is no need to be so worked up. Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me…"

Rin walked past an annoyed Issei and a slightly confused Shirou calmly. As she left the two boys behind, the honour student noted that Shirou seemed to be scratching his left hand quite frequently these past few days

…

Throwing the door open, Alazka limped into his study.

The former Master of Caster stood before the summoning circle where he summoned his ex-Servant about a week ago, a look of pure anger marred his face.

He was mad.

Mad at how Caster turned him from a dignified magus into a whimpering child in a span of minutes.

Mad at how that bitch took his hand from him.

Mad at how he wasn't able to see her die a horrible death.

Mad at how the damned priest had a gleeful and sadistic look on his face when he treated his wound, as though his screams of pain were music to his ears.

With a roar, Alazka kicked a nearby chair, sending it toppling on its side with a 'thump'. Not satisfied, he gave another kick to the innocent chair, causing it to skid across the room before crashing into the wall.

He's tired, emotionally and physically. The past few days were exhausting for him. Summoning his Servant, dealing with her bullshit, being in a horrifying incident, having his hand chopped off, fainting from shock and waking up in the church only to have Kotomine treating his wound with a…creepy look on his face.

Even his appearance change. Initially, he had a handsome and youthful face and a body that was the epitome of perfectness. Now, his face was haggard and had a haunting look on it. His body had lost weight and while he still didn't look rag and bones yet, perfect was not what many would describe it now.

All because of that bitch.

After flatly declining Kotomine's offer of sanctuary (doing so would mean that he was out of the War, and at the same time he wouldn't to spend the rest of the War with this screwed up man), Alazka left for his villa after his wound has healed considerably.

It's time to summon his new Servant.

Removing the marble slab with his remaining hand, Alazka tossed it into the summoning circle. It struck the floor, bouncing once, before landing at the outer rim of the circle.

Before starting the incantation, Alazka stared at the bandaged stump on his arm, painful memories surfacing in his mind.

"Damn you, bitch. I hope your last moments was painful and filled with despair, I hope you die forgotten and unseen in some alleyway, that you realized in your deathbed that no one gives a damn about you." He muttered, his anger almost reaching its boiling point before he calmed himself down. H

He glanced briefly at the antique clock hanging on the wall. 7pm in the evening. He had left the church about an hour ago to summon his Servant as soon as possible, there's no way he's going to delay any longer and be a sitting duck for any Master.

That's why he was summoning his Servant now.

"Let's start this sucker up. This better be good, Kotomine, otherwise I might razed your precious church down to the ground."

Clearing his throat, Alazka raised his right hand, where the Command Seals glowed menacingly, and begin the incantation as he done so a week ago.

" _Sliver and iron to the origin._

 _Gem and the archduke of contracts to the cornerstone._

 _The ancestor is my great master Schweinorg."_

Before him, the circle began to glow eerily.

" _The alighted wind becomes a wall._

 _The gates in the four directions close,_

 _Coming from the crown,_

 _The three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate._

 _Fill._

 _Fill._

 _Fill._

 _Fill._

 _Fill._

 _Repeat every five times._

 _Simply, shatter once filled."_

The circle glowed even brighter, and a slight tremble could be felt. Odd. Alazka did not remember any trembling during Caster's summoning.

" _I announce._

 _Yourself is under me,_

 _My fate is in your sword._

 _In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail,_

 _If you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer."_

The trembling increased and the whole house felt as though there was an earthquake. Some of his painting hanging in his study fell off the wall and landed on the floor and his tomes were falling off his desk one by one.

Something's not right, Alazka realized, fear gripping his heart. He should have stopped the summoning, but for some reason, he could not.

" _Here is my oath,_

 _I amthe one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead,_

 _I am the one who lays out all the evil in the world of the dead._

 _You, seven heavens clad in three words of power,_

 _Arrive from the ring of deterrence,_

 _O keeper of the balance-!"_

With a sudden burst of energy, the study room lit up like a Christmas tree, causing Alazka to raise his arm to cover his eyes. Just as quickly as it came, the bright light disappeared, leaving Alazka dazed in a room filled with smoke.

Coughing, the Master squinted his eyes, staring at the dense smoke. He could make out a shape moving in the smoke, but couldn't decipher anything from it. Hearing nothing, he cried out impatiently with a shaking voice.

"Hey! Show yourself, Servant! Who are you!?"

And he got his reply in the form of not one, but two voices, voices that sounded girlish and innocent, but colder than the depth of hell.

"So you are the one who summoned us. Fufufu…Rejoice, mortal, for many men would kill to be in your place."


	5. Chapter 5

4

It was the same scene again.

A literal hell on Earth.

Screams and cries of pain and agony mixing together to form a spine chilling cacophony

Shirou lay on the broken ground, staring aimlessly at the red smoke-filled sky.

His body…it felt so weak…as if all the energy had sapped out of his tiny frame. He could barely twitch his blacken fingers. It was a wonder how he managed to continue walking for such a long time with such a damaged body. His throat was drier than the hottest desert and any saliva in his mouth has been long gone, trying to satisfy his unquenchable thirst.

Death reigned supreme in this land.

It was the same scene again. A memory from a distant past. A scene that he had seen a hundred times.

He should be afraid, but he felt no such thing. He felt… only sadness. Sadness at all those gruesome deaths that no child so young, so innocent should ever witness, sadness for all his memories of his past life and loved ones wiped clean from his mind.

And sadness from what was going happen next.

A callous hand grasped his tiny one, and the nightmarish red sky was blocked by the face of weeping man, whose eyes were dead yet capable of joy, whose smile seemed like the first time he ever does so. A man whose face was haggard, who looked like he had sunk into the depths of despair, regained his former hope.

 _Kiritsugu …Dad…_

"He's alive…" The man mumbled almost incoherently, tears falling from his face onto Shirou's dry one. "Thank heavens, he's alive…!"

Seeing Kiritsugu's crying face, made Shirou realized that that was the only time he ever saw Kiritsugu cry.

He wanted to wrap his arm around the bigger man, to comfort him, to remove any pain and anguish he possess, but he could not. After all, he was too weak to even move. He could only gaze upon his deceased father's face, feeling his warm tears landing on his own.

Then it happened.

Suddenly, something began dripping from Kiritsugu's mouth.

 _Wha…_

The black liquid first came as a drip, before flowing freely out of the crying man's mouth, splattering all over the shocked boy's face.

He thought he felt the worst pain ever felt by mankind from the Great Fire of Fuyuki.

He never actually did.

The black ooze _burns_ , _it burns it burns it burns it burns oh god it burns it burns IT BURNS GET IT OF MEEE IT BURNSSSSSS…!_

Shirou tried to scream, to get the repulsive, that burning liquid off his face, but his hands remained unresponsive to his command, not even the _PAIN_ could waken his dead limb.

 _Get it off get it off please Dad stop it stop it stop please STOP IT HELP ME HELP ME!_

Kiritsugu's face loomed before the squirming boy. He was still crying, he still had that same expression as before, but now his tears were replaced by the black liquid. The sight of the marks left from the liquid flowing down his face almost cause Shirou's mind to go blank from fear.

"It's coming back…" A gurgling sound emerged from the man's smiling mouth, his hand clasping on the struggling boy's face tenderly. "It's coming back, Shirou, it's coming back, it's coming back, it's coming back…"

The liquid, the mud, it's now gushing out of Kiritsugu's mouth like a fountain, covering Shirou's body with it corrupting touch.

Endlessly flowing.

The boy opened his mouth, his mind so numbed with fear that he did not care if the mud enters his mouth, and finally screamed.

…

 _Two days before the Ryuudou Temple Incident._

"…!"

"….!"

"Senpai! Wake up!"

Shaking.

Someone's shaking his body.

Shirou's eyes fluttered open and with a gasp, sprung like a jack-in-the-box into a sitting position, his face almost hitting the person in front of him, who let out of a squeak of surprise as she jumped back from his sudden movement.

A dream.

It's just a bad dream.

Taking a deep breath, Shirou placed his right hand on his chest to calm his pounding heart and looked up, his golden eyes meeting a pair of purple eyes belonging to the girl who was kneeling before him.

Sakura Matou. His underclassman by a year. His…friend's sister. A rather introvert kind girl who mostly kept to herself no matter where she is, with the exception being the Emiya's house. Shirou wished that she would speak out more; he's sure that her gentle personality would help abolish the solitude he found her experiencing in school.

The girl with a pink ribbon tied neatly on her long purple hair brushed back a few strands of loose hairs behind her ear, smiling meekly at him. Behind her, the door that served as the entrance to the shed stood ajar, allowing the morning sunlight to filter in, providing illumination to the otherwise dim shed.

"Ah…G-Good morning, Sakura…" Shirou said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Good morning to you too, Senpai." Sakura's smile was replaced by a soft one. She stared at Shirou quizzically as the boy started to stand up with unsteady feet. "Did you have a bad dream?"

 _Black mud covering the entire body, seeping into any opening, pore it could find…Kritisugu's face with the dark tears…_

"Yeah…how did you know?"

"I was approaching the shed to check whether you have been awakened when I heard screams and sounds of someone trashing about. Worried, I quickly opened the door and found you rolling on the floor, Senpai." Sakura replied as she took stood up, an anxious look crossed her face.

"Damn, that must have been embarrassing…" Shirou sighed as he headed for the door.

"I found it quite cute actually…" Sakura muttered quietly, trailing behind her Senpai.

"Eh? Did you say something, Sakura?" Shirou stopped and turned around.

"Ah-Ah!" Sakura's eyes widen, her face began to blush furiously and she waved her hands in front of her. "I-I just, eh, I was just saying we should hurry and eat breakfast now, Senpai! That's all!"

"Oh…Damn, you made breakfast already, Sakura?"

"Of course, after all, you were still sleeping when I arrived, so I have the obligation to fulfil my role of the preparer of today's breakfast!" Sakura said, pushing out her chest with pride.

"I really should wake up much earlier…can't let you steal my duty all the time." Shirou grumbled as he stepped out of the shed into the bright morning. Hearing the birds chirping pleasantly, feeling the cool morning breeze caressed his still not fully awakened body, the self-proclaimed hero of justice was greeted with the same morning scene he experienced almost every day.

… "BRINGGGGGGGGGG!"

…

"BRINGGGGGGGGGG!"

…

"BRINGGGGGGGGGG!"

"OH SHUT UP!" The black haired girl yelled in frustration, a hand shooting out of the blanket and smacking the annoyance known as the alarm clock off the bedside table. The ringing machine did a graceful spin in the air before landing with a dull 'thud'.

…

…

The bedroom door creaked open.

"Heh. It seems like my Master is not a morning person."

A voice calmly spoke out.

A pair of aqua eyes peeked under the soft blanket, glaring at the intruder who invaded her private sanctuary.

"Archer…"

The red Servant, Archer, ignored the murderous intent leaking out from the young woman, choosing to instead walk briskly to the four post bed and pulling the blanket off.

"H-Hey!"

"It's time to get up, Rin. If you dawdle any longer, you would be late for school."

Rin Tohsaka glared daggers at the smug Servant in front of her, though her sleepy eyes are not doing a good job at being menacing. Yawning and stretching herself, the girl reluctantly slipped out of her warm bed.

"Can you stop staring at me? Did you come in to see your Master in her pyjamas?" Rin growled irritated as she walked to the desk mirror. Her bedraggled face stared tiredly back at her.

The tanned Servant rolled his eyes as he slowly dematerialized back to spirit form. "There not much to see anyway…"

"What did you say!?" Rin yelled the second time in the morning, throwing a hairbrush at Archer, but the Servant was already gone.

"Hmph. What an asshole." Rin mumbled as she rubbed her eyes. Just her luck in getting this snarky Servant.

She had summoned him two days again. Rin had eyes on summoning a Saber class Servant, the so-called strongest Servant out of the seven classes. She had meticulously everything down to the T, ensuring that all conditions are right for her to be at her strongest, to be able to summon Saber.

She wasn't meticulously enough. Rin had forgotten that the clocks in her house are an hour faster.

After she spoke the last verse of the summoning spell, there was large 'boom' above her and the next thing she knew, something fell on her head.

When she woke up the next day afternoon with a headache, she was lying on her bed in the clothes she wore before she fell unconscious and was greeted by the white-haired, tanned skin Servant. The man was standing by her bed, his arms folded across his chest, a smirk on his handsome face. Rin was a little put off by the way he kept staring at her, but she quickly brushed it off and ask for his identity.

He was Archer.

Damn it.

He could not even remember who he was.

Damn it.

He blamed her for his memory loss because "it's your fault for summoning me so poorly that I materialised above your empty head."

She exploded at that last comment.

"Oh well, it can't be helped…" Rin sighed as took out her uniform from her wardrobe. Life is full of disappointments after all.

At least he had apologised for the 'concussion' she had on the night of the summoning. After she had fired a barrage of insults at Archer.

As she took out her uniform, Rin glanced at the window momentarily. Although it's hard to see, one can still make out the Matou residence slightly below the Tohsaka Mansion at the hill. They are practically neighbours, after all. The Matous, like the Tohsakas, are one of the founding members of the formation of the Holy Grail War. No doubt there will be a Master from the family of the Matou would be selected by the Holy Grail as a Master.

"…"

Rin's hand, the one with the Command Seals, tightened as her thoughts drifted into a dangerous zone. Without a word, the Tohsaka heir closed the door of her wardrobe expressionlessly.

…

"Ahhh…sometimes, I wonder why Fuji-nee can't act more like her age…" Shirou mumbled as he and Sakura both arrived at the Homurahara Academy. Due to the recent strange accidents of gas leaks in buildings around Fuyuki City, the school had been trying to reduce the time the students spend in the school in case such incidents occur there. That's why morning club activities has been cancelled, giving both Shirou and Sakura to be able to walk to school together.

"Are you still upset over what Fujimura sensei did earlier?" Sakura asked with a smile, trying hard not to laugh.

"I wished she would not ruin my breakfast just because I accidently called her 'Tiger' yesterday. It's such a shame; your cooking would have been delicious if she didn't swap the soya sauce with the oyster sauce." Shirou sighed, not noticing the blush suddenly blooming on his junior's cheek.

"I-Is that so, Senpai? I'm sorry, I-I will personally make sure that Fujimura Sensei would not destroy your meal!"

"Hey, no need to apologise, it's not your…" Shirou turned to face Sakura, before his smile turned into a frown. "Hey, your hand…"

Sakura looked at Shirou questioningly, before glancing at her right hand.

"Ah…"

Realizing what Shirou was looking at, she quickly covered the bruise with her left hand, slightly turning her face.

Shirou stopped walking and calmly, yet firmly, grabbed Sakura's left hand and pulling it towards him.

"S-Sen-Pai?"

"Did Shinji did this?" Shirou asked tonelessly.

Sakura timidly looked back at her Senpai, only for her eyes to be locked into his own. Although it seems that Shirou was calm, she could see the flames of fury behind those golden eyes of his.

"Nii-san didn't do anything, S-Senpai! I-I just fell down the stairs in the morning!" Sakura stammered out a pathetic excuse, her eyes unable to avert from Shirou's powerful glare. Beside them, several students stopped and stared at them, whispering conspicuously to each other.

"…Is he taking drugs again?" Shirou's grip tightened.

"N-No, Nii-san stopped doing so a year ago! Please, he didn't hurt me, Senpai! He…" The flustered Sakura suddenly stopped talking and stared incredulously at his left hand.

"Senpai, your hand…"

At first, Shirou thought she was trying to change the subject, but when he looked at his hand grabbing onto Sakura's, he noticed a mysterious bruise on the back of it.

"Huh?" he muttered, his anger dispersing as quickly as it came. He brought his hand closer to him and inspect the bruise. He could have sworn that he could make out a shape from it.

"That's weird, I don't remember hitting my hand on anything…" Shirou looked up, only to see Sakura staring at his hand blankly, her arms hanging lifelessly by her side.

Her eyes…they seemed so dead, clouded with despair. Her mouth twitched, as though she was suppressing her emotions. The dark look on her face for a moment gave him the chills.

"Oi, Sakura!" Shirou laughed awkwardly as he waved his hand before her face. "What's wrong? It's just a bruise. There's no need to make such a scary face over it."

Sakura jumped, her face full of bewilderment, as though she snapped out from a trance. "Oh…I-I'm sorry if I startled you Senpai! There's nothing wrong, I'm just a bit surprised by the bruise, that's all!" She too laughed nervously, trying to gloss things over. But Shirou could still see the unease lingering in her purple eyes. "You better get to class Senpai! I'm sorry for holding you back so long!"

"O-oh, see you, Sakura! Remember, if Shinji ever bothers you again, tell me, okay?"

"Senpai, really…Nii-san didn't do it." Sakura smiled as she turned away and headed to the opposite direction, yet Shirou can't help but feel that her smile felt forced.

"Man…I hope she's all right…" Shirou sighed as he advanced towards the school building, an unfamiliar sense of dread clung to his heart.

…

"There, it's finally done…" Shirou wiped the sweat on his forehead as he finished fixing the three heaters in the student council room. Issei had asked him after school to help him fixed the heaters after school, all the while complaining that the student council always lack the funds to buy new heaters and that their last heater died on them, while apologizing for making him fix those machines.

"Sheesh…even if we are friends for so long, he still apologized when asking for my help…" Shirou muttered to himself as he stood up and stretched, his body feeling cramped after sitting down for so long. His friend always had the stubborn habit to apologize despite knowing that he is more willing to help out, always blushing a little as he does so. It's not that it is that much of a hassle to him anyway. With his tracing ability, finding the faults in the machines was a piece of cake, so it didn't take too long…

Looking out of the window, Shirou was shocked that it was already pitch dark outside.

"Shit, I really overestimated myself." Briskly, Shirou began to pack up his bag.

As he left the student council room and down the darkened hallway, Shirou's mind began wandered off.

"Shinji was absent today…that bastard, I really want to confront him about what he did to Sakura…" Shirou grumbled as he descended down the stairs to the first floor. "Seriously, why does he always treat his sister like that…I mean, I don't even have a sibling and I know how to treat them bette-"

CLANG!

CLANG!  
CLANG!

All of a sudden, deafening sounds of metal striking metal erupted from the courtyard. Shirou freeze, a sense of dread gripped his soul.

 _What's…What's going on?!_

The sounds, the noise, it's almost as though a large battle was being fought!

He should have run.

He should have left the school. Quickly. Immediately. Now.

He should.

He really should.

But he didn't.

Curiosity overcame his fear of the unknown. He had to know what's going on. He must. He can't just ignore it! If it was a fight, someone could be hurt!

Against his better judgement, he dashed to the courtyard.

Curiosity kills the cat.

…

Shirou's eyes snapped open.

He gasped, clutching his chest as he struggled to sit up. His head…his head felt as though it was about to explode...

Feeling something moist on his hand, Shirou peeled his hand from his chest and dumbly stared at the red stain on it. It took him a while to realize it's his blood.

"What…what happened…?" Shirou managed out a croak, his head felt as though someone was playing a pair of cymbal in it. Looking around wearily, he realized he was just outside the archery dojo.

Shirou stood up with wobbly feet, lose his balance and fell on the ground on his chest. Groaning, he tried again, this time, leaning against a wall to steady his balance.

"What happened…?" he repeated his question dully and this time, the memories came flooding back to him.

 _An epic battle in the courtyard._

 _A white-haired man dressed in red, wielding a pair of short swords._

 _A woman in black with long violent hair with two chain daggers in her hands._

 _A clash so fantastic, so terrifying that the stunned Shirou took a step back._

 _One of them noticed him, he forgotten who._

" _Who's there!?"_

 _He ran._

 _Ran towards the archery range like a headless chicken, panic and fear overwhelming him, choking him._

 _He didn't make it._

 _The long-haired woman seemingly materialised in front of him and before he could even react, swiftly stabbed him in the heart._

 _Her emotionless face whose eyes were hidden behind a blindfold looking down at his dying face briefly before disappearing from his vision._

 _Then, blackness._

Did he die? He didn't know, he didn't care. His mind…that scene, it felt so surreal, like a dream…

The blood in his hand told him otherwise.

His mind was blank, he was still in shock, unable to think what had happened. The only thing in his mind was to go home, to leave this school where danger may be lurking about!

With feet that felt like it could break any moment, Shirou left the school, his mind a jumble of mess.

…

The journey home was a haze.

Shirou could vaguely recall stumbling like a drunkard down the street along his school, crossing the street junction and up the hill towards his house. Clumsily pushing the door open, not even sure how he unlocked the front door, staggered into the shed and crumpled into a heap against the wall.

 _So…tired…can't think…_

What the hell is going on today? First he had that nightmare he stopped dreaming of years ago, then he stumbled upon a fight between two awesome beings that were beyond the scope of the human mind, then he got killed, then he got resurrected…Ugh, he doesn't know what to think anymore!

Panting heavily, Shirou clutch the bloody patch of his uniform, feeling the familiar rhythmic thumping of his heart, the heart that should be pierced by that dagger, yet still beating, pumping fresh blood though his blood vessel.

His throat felt dry as a parchment. He didn't know that dying makes you thirsty.

 _Maybe it's all just a dream, a very vivid and realistic dream…or…or something. Once I closed my eyes, everything should be fine…right?_ Shirou's exhausted mind tried to rationalize the bizarre situation, his eyes, pulled by invisible weights, started to lower. The shed, the place which he viewed as a private sanctuary where he can work on his own project, brought comfort to his troubled mind and before he knew it, he started to doze off…

The ringing of bell. His boundary field. An intruder!

Instinctively, his body full of energy out of the blue, Shirou made a clumsy leap to the right, just barely avoiding a black mass landing on the spot he was a second ago, daggers digging into the floor like knife through butter

"HOLY SHI-" Shirou yelled as he scrambled furiously to the corner of the living room, his heart which had just calmed down began to speed up again, adrenaline acting as fuel coursing through his body In a blind panic, his hand reached out and grabbed a metal pipe lying close to him.

 _No time to do the usual! Gotta strengthen it, now!_ Gritted his teeth, Shirou tried to pour magical energy into the pipe to reinforce the only weapon he had.

A swirl of the air.

"Hrgh!" He managed to swing his makeshift weapon to block the dagger aiming for his neck. The speed of the dagger was astonishing; it almost seemed like a blur, an afterimage, moving at such incredible velocity that a human eye could not have follow, so it actually surprised him that he was even able to block such attack.

It was for naught.

The force exerted by the dagger on the red-haired boy felt as though a lorry and rammed straight into him at high speed. His weapon shattered like glass before his incredulous eyes, his arms felt as if every bone in it was smashed into dust and with a cry of pain, Shirou was sent soaring through the air and crashing into the pillar with a resounding 'CRACK'!

Pain.

Pain.

Pain assaulted his body, every cell, every fibre, so much pain that for a moment he forgotten how to breathe, wheezing pathetically as he slumped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

Footsteps.

Using every ounce of strength remaining, the boy raised his head, his neck creaking excruciatingly as he did so.

The woman in a black dress which hugged her well-endowed figure stood silently before him, her light purple hair falling all the way down to her feet. She appeared to be staring at him, though it was hard to tell given the elaborately designed blindfold covering her eyes. In her hands held two daggers attached to chains.

"Why…" Shirou coughed, iron taste of blood in his mouth. He wanted to know why he was going to die. He didn't know who this woman was, nor the red man she was fighting with. He didn't know what he had done to deserve to die in her hands. So…he had to know.

"You have seen things you shouldn't have," the woman spoke, her voice as smooth as silk. If Shirou wasn't in such a life and death situation, he would have thought it sounded seductive. "That's why you must be eliminated." She raised one of the dagger slightly above her head. "A pity. My Master really adores you…"

And plunged the sharp weapon down.

 _That's it? Just because I have seen things I shouldn't have? Just because I'm in the wrong place at the wrong time? That's why I have to die?_

The dagger drew closer.

 _It's not fair! I don't even know who she is! Why should I die? Because of that stupid reason?_

Closer.

 _I can't die yet! My promise to Kiritsugu!_

Closer.

 _My promise to all those people who I left to die in the fire!_

Closer.

 _My promise to be a champion of justice!_

Closer.

 _I haven't achieved it yet, so I can't die now! I can't! I CAN'T!_

"I CAN'T!" Shirou roared at the top of his lungs, knowing how fruitless it was, that death was inevitable, that the dagger will kill him for sure this time, yet he couldn't give up, not even in the face of his own mortality! He couldn't, he couldn't-!

A switch was flipped.

And the entire shed was flooded with a brilliant white light.

…..

She could feel it.

The summoning of the last Servant, Saber.

The child of the winter gingerly leaped out of her gigantic cream-colored poster bed and half walked, half dashed to the balcony that overlook the vast forest that stretched far beyond the eye could see.

Standing alone in the balcony, the girl felt nothing, not the coldness of the night air, not the coolness of the stone floor she stood on.

The girl with long snow white hair, dressed in a nightgown matching perfecting with the color of her hair, grabbed the steel railing and lean against it eagerly. The moonlight made her hair shone intensely, giving an impression of an angel.

So much like her mother.

So different from her father.

Without anyone telling her, she knew.

She knew who the Servant's Master was.

There can only be one person. The second most hated person in her world.

"Onii-chan…"

The crimson eyes sparkled with glee, but if one were to look closer, one could see the rolling mass of hatred, so much that it almost seemed impossible to fit it into those pair of innocent-looking eyes.

…

She could feel it.

The unpleasant feeling of the last Servant summoning.

The girl laid naked on the hard stone ground, her body curled into a tight ball.

She was not alone, not when she was in the basement, in the pit.

Hundreds, no, _thousands_ of worms swarmed the cold, dark basement. Those gray… slug-like abominations crawled feverishly around the girl, desperately seeking to enter whatever opening they could find in her body, their gaping mouth with rows of sharp teeth sinking lovingly, yet viciously into her flesh

The pain did not cause her to flinch. No, she was used to the pain since long ago. This was just a routine to her, just another daily routine that she had for so many years.

No, what her mind was focused on now was the feeling of the new Servant coming into existence.

She hoped she was wrong. She hoped she was mistaken. She hoped that he…he would not be involved in the War as-!

"Please…please, let me be wrong…" the girl sobbed pathetically as she further curled herself into a ball, her dirtied body trembling violently, her voice almost like the buzzing of a mosquito.

Only the screech of the worms answered her pleas.

…

He could feel her.

The same knightly and dignified presence that he felt back then ten years ago, the same presence that caused the Fourth Holy Grail War to be entertaining enough to warrant his participation in it.

She was an interesting specimen, that Saber. She wanted to the perfect king, to give her people peace and stability, to achieve victories from the battles she fought, to lead her kingdom into a bright and beautiful era. All while casting her emotions aside, becoming a stoic and cold ruler, to become a 'not human', causing her people to doubt her, to fear her, to distrust her.

Such flawed ideals she stubbornly maintained. He will enjoy breaking them, before he breaks her.

The Golden Servant laid back on the sofa lazily, gently twirling the wine glass in his hand. After a while, he raised the glass in the air.

"A toast, Saber, to our long-awaited reunion…" the man spoke mockingly, his voice echoed in the candle-lit room.

Placing the glass to his lips, he tilted his head back and drank the dark red liquid.

The curtains had risen. The play shall now commence.

….

She could feel it.

That large burst of prana, one had to be an idiot to miss that.

Caster looked hungrily through the eyes of a familiar she had sent to investigate the sudden spike in magical energy. She already knew that a Servant had been summoned. The question is…who was it?

She waited impatiently as the bird flew into the open field behind a house, walking cautiously as it inspected the area, waiting for something to happen.

It did not have to wait long.

A dark figure flew above the bird, causing it to squawk and flap its wings in surprise. But before she could see what it was, someone came rushing out of the tiny shed situated at the edge of the field.

Caster felt her breath taken away, her eyes locked onto the figure who stood proudly in the lonely field, banishing an invisible weapon.

All she could say was…

"She's…perfect…"

And her lips twisted to a dark grin.


	6. Chapter 6

5

 _A young foreign girl in shiny armour stood majestically before him, her emerald eyes directed impassively at him._

…

" _Are you my Master?"_

…

 _The colossal battle between the blonde knight and the woman with blindfolds outside the shed, the billowing wind emitting from the battle causing him to shield his eyes._

…

" _Leaving the fight so soon? Have you had no honour!?"_

…

" _These are your Command Seals, Master."_

…

 _The sword, cladded in whirling air, slashed towards the red knight with killing intent, who responded by raising his twin blades in front of him, a tinge of shock and… recognition? On his face._

…

 _Rin Tohsaka smiling calmly at him, though his instincts were telling him that there was no humour in that forced grin, and gave a small, mocking bow._

…

" _Good evening, Emiya-kun."_

…

 _A few hours before the Ryuudou Temple incident_

"Gah!"

Shirou Emiya bolted straight into a sitting position, eerily like how he did so last morning that for a split second, he almost had a sense of déjà vu.

Breathing deeply, the red-haired teenager scanned his surroundings hastily, but his panicked brain seemed to halt its function to process information. Everything looked so foreign, so _alien_ , that for a moment he wondered if he had teleported into an alternate dimension.

It was only when he calmed down that he realized, with a tinge of disappointment, he was on his futon, in his tiny sparsely-furbished bedroom.

Birds chirping cheerfully.

The leaves of the tree which stood alone outside his room rusting against his window.

Another perfectly normal morning in another perfectly normal day.

"Man," Shirou breathed a sigh of relief, flopping back onto his futon, his arms behind his head. "What a realistic dream…"

 _The darkly-cladded woman raised her chained dagger and before he could blink, stabbed him coldly in the heart._

"Gah!" Shirou winced, his hand shooting to reach the spot on his chest, searching for any sign of the wound.

Nothing.

Of course there's nothing. It's just a dream, nothing more, nothing less.

"I'm getting too paranoid…" The young man mused, feeling calmer after the confirmation that there was no wound sustained. What did he expect? People die after they are killed after all.

Lazily, he reached and grabbed the digital alarm clock lying by its side. Apparently, he must have knocked it over in his sleep.

The green blockish '6.30' stared back at him dully. On a school day, he would have been hitting his head with self-loathing and frustration while running full speed to prepare breakfast (assuming Sakura hasn't taken over his role) to appease the hungry tiger waiting impatiently for her meal. Thank God it's a weeken-

Wait.

The alarm clock fell from Shirou's grip and bounced once on the tatami mat.

"Oh shit."

…

Shirou dashed through the corridor, nearly slipping because of his speed and the slippery floor, but managed to regain his balance and entered the kitchen, hitting his head with self-loathing and frustration along the way.

He clumsily opened the top drawer, desperately searching for the right cooking wares to prepare breakfast. _Please, whoever is watching from above, please delay Fuji-Nee! Let her scooter tire burst or something or maybe she has forgotten her keys…!"_ What answered his plea for mercy was the sound of pots and pans clattering down from the drawer onto the ground, causing quite a din.

Seems like the higher powers are not feeling merciful and assigned Shirou as their personal clown of the day, waiting with glee for the inevitable punchline.

Shirou dropped to all fours, scrambling to pick up the pan he was looking for. I'm dead, he thought glumly, feeling incredibly tired despite the ardeline rush. There's definitely no time left. Knowing the unpreventable doom of being devoured by ravenous feline could make anyone feel like that.

That doesn't mean that he should give up though. As the saying goes, 'better late than never'. Maybe if he tries hard enough, he might be able to make it.

With renewed vigour, Shirou stood up-

And came face to face with Rin Tohsaka.

She's definitely not a morning person, judging from her dishevelled black hair, bloodshot eyes, drooling mouth and her shabby pyjamas, which, he noted, appeared to be from Taiga, seeing the familiar orange and black stripes on it.

"What's with the racket? Can't anyone get an ounce of sleep in here?" The school idol grumbled sleepily, rubbing her bleary eyes with her hands.

"Oh, um, good morning, Tohsaka. Sorry for the commotion, I dropped a few…things." Shirou gave her a brief glance before placing his pan on the stove. A little too hard for his liking.

"Just keep it down, okay?" She muttered a reply, taking a cup and filling it with water. She lifted the brim of the cup to her lips and began to drink.

Shirou hurriedly opened the refrigerator, eyes scrutinizing the food packed inside. _What should I cook? Teriyaki chicken? Maybe some small tomatoes? Or salmon with-_

Something clicked inside his head. An anomaly that he just saw a few seconds ago and didn't register until now.

Tohsaka. Inside. House. The three words combined to form a reaction.

"AHHHHH!"

"GLOUGHBLUB-KYAAAAAA!"

"GAHHHHH!"

"KYAAAAAA!"

"GAHHHHH!"

"STOP SCREAMING, YOU IDIOT!" Rin yelled at him, grabbing the collar of his shirt and yanking him forward, pulling his face close to her face.

And that position they remained for a few seconds, Shirou staring dumbly at Rin, a look of surprise and wonder on his face, his arms hanging limply by his sides, and Rin glaring daggers at him, her face and the front of pyjamas was soaked with water. Though her angry expression was chipping away slowly when she realized the position they were in.

He didn't know why Rin was in his house, even though he had a nagging feeling at the back of his head that he _should_ have already known. But right now, he had to break this very awkward atmosphere and the best thing to do so is to say something.

"T-Tohsaka…You are blushing."

"…"

"Umm…Tohsaka? What are doing in my house?"

"Emiya-kun, you sure say the strangest things." Rin released her grip on his collar, a sweet smile that sent chills down Shirou's spine. "And you seem to have lose your memories. Would you mind if I beat it back into you?"

Before Shirou could flinch away and hastily turn down her kind offer, both of them heard footsteps approaching the living room.

"Huh?" Shirou quickly turned to the source of the footsteps. Could it be Fuji-Nee or Sakura? But he didn't hear the door open. Who could it-

The blonde-haired girl, the one from his dreams, appeared before them, now dressed in a white shirt and blue skirt with a blue ribbon on the shirt collar to complete the look.

"Shirou? Rin? What was that commotion?" She queried, quizzically looking at Shirou, then Rin, before returning her attention back to Shirou.

Shirou couldn't even have time to react or process this strange sight before him when his mouth opened mechanically and uttered,

"Sa…ber."

How did he know her name? Why is she here? Why is Tohsaka here? What is goin-

Then the truth hit him like a truck cruising at high speed.

"No way…" He took a quivering step back, his right foot knocking onto one of the overturned pot with a clang. But that sound felt like it was echoing a million miles away.

"What happened last night…the Holy Grail War, Servants, Masters…" Shirou gulped.

"It's…real?"

"Of course, you idiot," Tohsaka grumbled impatiently as she wiped her face with a towel. "The proof is just in front of you."

As if on cue, the 'proof' walked, no _glided_ , swiftly across the room towards Shirou.

"Shirou? Are you alright? Did Rin attack you?" Saber gazed at his face intently. The concern look on her face caused Shirou to avert his eyes and blushed.

 _Damn, she's quite cute…_

Brushing aside those embarrassing thoughts, he mumbled nervously, "No, Saber, I was jus-"

Just then, the doorbell rang and all three of them turned their heads towards the source.

"Intruders…?!" Saber said in anticipation before dashing to the front door.

"Oh shit, Saber, WAIT!"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The ticking of the clock was annoying.

The cream-colored clock that hung innocuously on the wall in the dining room was very annoying, so annoying that it had started to grate on her already fragile nerve.

She really wished she could just get up, walk briskly to the clock, grab it off its hook and smashing it on the ground, stamping on it for good measure, if it could remove that infernal ticking sound…

But that's wrong. It's wrong to destroy someone's property because of a trivial reason like this. Even worst, he would be very upset with her.

That would be bad. Very bad.

So, Sakura Matou had to content with sitting Japanese-style at the dining table, staring at the scene before her in a daze, trying to get rid of the noxious thoughts that invaded her mind.

She had met Fujimura Sensei at the intersection. They exchanged greetings, then continued their way to the Emiya residence, her teacher going on with her usual crazy rambling while Sakura walked beside her, listening politely to the one-sided conversation.

Another beautiful morning. Feeling the warm sunlight on her face, Sakura thought that the warmth from the smile of her senpai would be greater than the sun's, and that thought brought out a serene smile. The feeling of anticipation lifted her heart.

But as they neared the residence, a wave of unease swept over her, causing her smile to falter a little. She tried to convince herself that there was nothing wrong, (see, Fujimura Sensei is still rambling on without a care in the world), but the uneasiness refused to leave, like a fly that buzzed around her even if she tried to swipe it away.

Sakura's finger trembled as it pressed the doorbell. The sound of the doorbell ringing in the large residence felt deafening to her.

"What's with that expression, Sakura-chan?" her teacher said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes, a wicked smile in her lips. "You looked like a girl on her first date!"

"F-Fujimura Sensei!" Sakura replied mock-indignantly, summoning the fiercest facial expression she could muster. Her teacher burst out laughing, but that exchange did little to calm down her heart. Sakura's expression reverted back to an anxious one.

 _Please let it be senpai, please let it be senpai, please let it be senpai, please let it be senp-_

There was a click, before the door was threw wide open.

"Good morning, Senp-"Sakura blurted out a little too fast for her liking, but who can blame her? She was worried about him, but all those worries were gone now, after all he's-

The remaining part of that sentence was stuck in her throat.

Before them stood a foreign blonde-haired young girl, crouching in a defensive position. She glared at the two of them with eyes filled with cold enmity, a frown etched on her youthful face.

 _She should smile more than frown. It really marred the beauty of her face._ Sakura thought dumbly, her mind frozen.

"Hmm?" Fujimura Sensei said, a strange expression on her face, but did nothing other than continuing to stand on the porch.

The girl gave her a brief glance before her glare settled on Sakura. And there it lingered, her eyes seemingly boring deep into her soul, as if she knew, _she knew-_

Sakura felt a chill down her spine and took a step back, her head turned away from those condemning eyes.

Just then, a familiar face appeared, all flustered and sweaty, but unmistakably that of Shirou Emiya's.

He appeared from behind the girl, quickly grabbing her shoulder and with a little difficulty, pulled her behind him.

"Shirou?!" The girl uttered out in surprise.

"Saber, listen, these people are not enemies, they are friends, okay? There's no need to act hostile to them!"

"But Shirou-"

 _Saber…?_

"Senpai." Sakura spoke in a quivering voice and stepped forward, her fear of the girl called 'Saber' momentarily forgotten. "Who is she?"

"Huh, Sakura?! Um, uh…"

"Shirou." Fujimura Sensei said emotionlessly and pointed behind both of them. "Why is that girl wearing my pyjamas?"

…

And that's how they ended up here, all of them sitting around the dining table. Fujimura Sensei grabbing Shirou by the collar and shaking him like a ragdoll despite his desperate pleads for her to stop. Rin, now dressed in her school uniform so as to not induce her teacher's wrath, sat at a safe distance away from the commotion, an amused look on her face. She didn't seem shocked or gave a reaction similar to Shirou or Saber, just a cursory 'Good morning' from her part. The calm demeanour she let out made Sakura very uncomfortable. Something else as well…

The unfamiliar girl, simply called 'Saber', sat beside Rin emotionlessly, though she would glance at Shirou and his older sister with a tingle of concern. That action irked Sakura. She felt like

 _ripping her heart out and crushing it into million_

asking her to stop looking at her senpai that way, but it would be an embarrassing request to make, a request that would raise a few eyebrows.

"SHHHHIIIRRROOOUUUU! WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY ARE STAYING OVER?!" Fujimura Sensei roared, the loudness of her voice caused Shirou to wince. The tiger bared her sharp fangs, not caring if her prey was the little brother she always adored.

"F-Fuji-Nee, I-I can explain….!"

"SHUT UP! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! I HAVE NEVER RAISED YOU UP TO BE THAT WAY!" Fujimura Sensei interrupted uncaringly and continued to shake Shirou around.

Just as Sakura decided to stop being a bystander and at least help her senpai out from the merciless clutches of the tiger, Tohsaka spoke out calmly.

"Fujimura Sensei, I feel that if you want explanation, you should be seeking those answers from the cause of this problem. You will undoubtedly get nothing out of Emiya-kun if you continue to strangle him."

To Sakura's relief, Fujimura Sensei paused, letting go of Shirou who then slumped to the ground semi-conscious, and turn her attention to the honour student.

"Is that so? Then tell me, why are the two of you in Shirou's house? There's no reason why you should be here!" The tiger had calmed down considerably, but the dangerous glint in her eyes told Tohsaka she better not be fooling around.

Tohsaka remained unfazed. "You see, my house has been undergoing some extreme renovation that requires me to find a place elsewhere to stay until its completed. At the same time, my distant cousin from overseas," she nodded towards Saber, who too nodded. "chose a bad time to come visit. Originally, I planned for us to stay in a hotel, but Saber wanted to take this opportunity to experience staying at an authentic Japanese home. Emiya-kun had heard of my problem and decided to allow us in his house. Oh, and if you are worried about Emiya-kun being a pervert, there's no need to worry. He hasn't done anything to us." Tohsaka flashed a grateful smile at Shirou.

 _Lies._ Sakura thought, but Fujimura Sensei seemed to buy it.

"But, I can't let a boy and two girls stay in the stay in the same house…as a teacher…" Fujimura Sensei blubbered, trying to find a reason to protect the innocence of her ward.

"Is Shirou a pervet?" Tohsaka asked and in the background, Shirou gagged.

"Wha-!? How dare you say that! Shirou isn't the type to do crude things!" The tiger roared.

"Then I don't see any problem for letting us stay here, right?" Tohsaka let out a triumph smile when she saw the tiger realising her mistake and slowly and pitifully crumble in defeat.

She then turned towards Sakura, who had been quiet throughout the entire conversation and asked, "You wouldn't mind our presence here, do you, Matou-san?"

 _I mind a lot! I want the both of you to get out of the house, get out of our lives!_ Was what Sakura wanted to scream out, but a good and understanding kouhai wouldn't do that, so she gave a reluctant smile and replied as convincing as she could. "Of course not, Tohsaka-senpai. The both of you are always welcomed here."

"Thank you, Sakura. Now, with that out of the way, I would like to say that both Emiya-kun and me will not be attending school today."

…

"WHAT?!" Both Shirou and Fujimura Sensei yelled out simultaneously, jumping to their feet and staring at the honour student as though she had just nuked the Emiya residence. Saber's eyebrows were raised for a few seconds, but her face remained neutral.

Sakura's smile has vanished.

The ticking of the clock is really annoying.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 _An hour before the Ryuudou Temple incident_

Night has finally descended, ending a long day.

The boy laid on his futon, his hands behind his head, staring exhaustedly at the ceiling. In the next room, he could hear the faint breathing from Saber. He felt a little flustered, but at least she was not sleeping in the same room as him

Today has been a mess, dealing with the fact that they had to explain Tohsaka and Saber's sudden presence in his house, before finding a reason (Tohsaka came up with showing Saber around Fuyuki City) to please Fuji-Nee and Sakura. Fuji-Nee finally begrudgingly agreed to letting them have a day off. Sakura too, agreed, but there was a distant look on her face. Shirou hoped she wasn't too upset.

They then visited the church where the overseer of the war resided in Shinto, after Fuji-nee and Sakura left. They apparently thought of going there last night, but Shirou felt too tired after that day's events that the trip was postponed.

Shirou felt an immediate dislike of the overseer, a priest named Kirei Kotomine. The pompous way that man carried himself, it was as though he was looking down at you, yet concealing that fact very well. He presented himself as a well-mannered man, but Shirou could feel there's more than meet the eye with the devious priest. The way his dull eyes lit up unnaturally when he told him his name, that all-knowing smirk on his face, irritated Shirou too no end. Seemed like Tohsaka felt the same way too, from the face she was making.

They went through the rules of the Holy Grail War before Shirou affirmed after giving it a serious thought that he was going to be a Master in this war. He has no wish for the Holy Grail, but hearing that other masters may cause disaster if they claimed the relic, he vowed to use all his power to stop them from harming the innocent. He must live up to his and his father's dream after all. The smirk on the priest's face grew wider.

After they left the church, Shirou asked Tohsaka why she was helping him and becoming his partner. Tohsaka stopped, gave a puzzled look and said, "Who said I'm your partner?". This caused both Shirou and Saber to tense up, but then she laughed and told them she was just joking. She said that she had a debt to him that she need to repay and that she decided to partner him so that he would "get the hang of things and not to be an idiot in this war." Shirou wondered if that was truly the only reason.

When he asked about her Servant, Tohsaka sighed and said that he was recovering from the wound suffered from Saber in her mansion, but should be able to be fully deployed in one or two days. A troubled look crossed her face as she was talking about him, but it disappeared so quickly that Shirou wondered if he had imagined it.

The boy yawned and turned to his side, his thought drowned by his desire to sleep. All problems can wait until tomorrow when he is more fresh and awake. Making himself comfortable, he was soon fast asleep, lulled by the sound of Saber's breathing.

For a few minutes, this tranquil scene remained undisturbed. Then, as silent and deadly as a snake, a slivery string-like tread slithered through the window, having bypass the weak boundary field. The tread floated in the air for a moment, then finding its target, zipped with incredible speed and latched itself onto him. Shirou slumbered on peacefully.

With a gentle tug, the string slowly and carefully pulled the boy to a sitting position. Delicately, like a puppeteer controlling his dummy, the string pulled him to his feet, his blanket falling from his body and pooling at his feet. Shirou rocked around drunkenly and for a brief second, almost fall, but he managed to steady himself in the end.

With the guidance of the string, Shirou, still asleep, walked softly out of the room, through the corridor and out of the house, without alarming any of the other occupants in the house.

In the temple, the witch let out a sigh of relief and smiled. Now that the hard part is over, luring the boy into her temple should be easy.

The street was deserted of human life as the boy walked on, the chilling air not bothering him the slightest. He walked on, not aware of a man holding a demonic spear squatting on top of a streetlight, watching him with amusement. The Servant pondered whether to kill the helpless Master before him, but ultimately decided not to. The boy is no doubt the Master of Saber and killing the boy now would erase that Servant's existence. Lancer was itching for a good fight with Saber, who he had not meet yet. Besides, there's no way his Master would allow him to kill the boy.

"Tsk, your Servant better not be a disappointment, kiddo." Lancer murmured as he leapt off the lamppost into the night.

As Shirou reached Mount Enzo and began climbing up the stone steps, two pairs of eyes watched him go from behind a car parked at the base of the mountain. Their eyes followed him for a few seconds before they melted back into the darkness. Although they could kill him now, he was under the spell of a Servant more powerful than them. Killing him would earn them her wrath and their annihilation, so they held back. For now. It was a shame that the witch got him first though. He would be a great asset to them.

Shirou climbed up the mountain without breaking a sweat or panting and entered the Ryuudou Temple, unaware of the future he would be having with the Servant who was waiting eagerly for his arrival in the main grounds of the temple.


	7. Chapter 7

6

 _A few hours before the Ryuudou Temple incident_

"Caster."

"Huh?" The witch of betrayal, Caster, gasped as she snapped out of her reverie.

Souichirou Kuzuki, her new master, stood a few stone steps below, looking at her stonily, his hardened face betrayed no emotion.

"I-I'm sorry, Souichirou-sama, I was just musing over something." Caster bowed her head as she apologized.

"Your apology was not needed. I just wish to inform you that I would be working late in school today. You need not cook for me tonight." The poker-faced teacher replied.

"I understand. Please, return as soon as possible after you have finished with your work."

Kuzuki nodded wordlessly, his way of acknowledging her words and bidding her farewell, and turned his back towards her as he went down the mountain.

As Caster watched her Master descended the stone steps, her mind returned to her previous thoughts. The beautiful silence and solitude that only Mount Enzo could provide helped calm her mind as she pondered about her plans.

Her idea of summoning a Servant herself seemed to be a failure. She reasoned that since she was a magus, she should be able to break the fragile rules of the Holy Grail War and become a Master herself, resulting in her surprise when she performed the summoning ritual a few nights ago and no Servant answered her calls. Either she had overestimated her intelligence and ability or the Grail had selected all the chosen Masters already. Caster leaned towards the latter.

Vexing, very vexing indeed. Caster was aware that she was one of the weakest class, probably aside from Assassin, to ever grace the Holy Grail War. The knight classes, Saber, Archer and Lancer all have supreme magical resistance, and fighting Berserker toe to toe is literally suicide.

She needed assistance, a lap dog to do all the dirty work for her while she schemes in the protective barrier of her temple. Souichirou-sama was out of the question. She couldn't allow him to face off against the other Servants. Even if she managed to enhance his strength and ability through magic, there is no guarantee he would be able to take down even one of them. They are Heroic Spirits after all, warriors who weaved legends based on their actions alone. If they were taken down by Souichirou-sama, they have no rights to call themselves that.

Thankfully, Caster grinned darkly, she just has the tool needed to fix this problem.

Rule Breaker: All Spells Must Be Broken.

A powerful Noble Phantasm in the form of a multi-colored jagged dagger, it is able destroy all sorts of magical contract a being might has, including the contract between Master and Servant.

The 'How' of her plan had always been on her ever since she manifested into this world, so she hardly spends any mental juice figuring out. Now it's the 'Who' that was bothering her.

Berserker…not going to happen. Even if she has the strongest Servant, he would be useless as a loose cannon and would be more detrimental than beneficial in the long run. She wouldn't be winning anything if she lost control of him and is reduced to a bloody paste on the ground.

While she had considered having an Assassin as her Servant, her decided against it when she felt the summoning of said Servant. There was something abnormal in the summoning of Assassin; if she had to describe the feeling, it was as if the Holy Grail was trying to vomit out the Servant as though a frog is stuck in its throat. She had not caught sight of Assassin just yet, but her intuition warned her from trying to claim him. Best not to deal with the unknown.

Rider…was pathetically weak. Judging from the amount, or lack, of magical energy, the female Servant was forced to consume souls to sustain herself due to the incompetence of her Master. Caster could already tell that the boy had no magic circuit and therefore not a magus. The Rider team should be disposed of, not to make allies with. Such easy target should be removed to lessen the competition.

Having seen but a fraction of Lancer's fighting skills first hand, Caster had to admit that he was perfect. The speed, the agility, the power, Lancer excelled in all aspect. Caster would have undoubtedly chosen Lancer if not his laid back and brash attitude and the brief history they had. Caster felt that the blue Servant would continue to annoy her with his cocky behaviour until she is forced either to use a Command Seal to shut him up or order him to stab himself with his weapon. Also, Lancer's Master is still a mystery. Who knows what he might have up his sleeves if his Servant was taken from him.

Archer…did not impress Caster. Sure, he does look capable, yet he used a pair of twin swords during his battle with Rider in the school where Souichirou worked. A weird choice of weapon for a bowman. She had tried to identity the origin of the twin swords, but could come up with nothing, thus she settled with Archer being a rather nameless and fameless hero. The fact that he could fight another Servant and nearly claim victory was probably just a fluke; after all that Servant was Rider. Still he would have been her best choice if it wasn't for Saber.

Now, Saber…she's a real work of art.

Even when her Master is a helpless novice in magic, his Servant is still a force to be reckon with. Caster believed that even with all the magical energy she had siphoned from the town, it would not be enough to defeat her in the conventional manner. At the same time, she liked her attitude and behaviour: no-nonsense, serious, not the type to run her mouth…

 _Yes,_ Caster smiled. _We will get along just fine…_

…

 _Now_

 _My feet feel cold._

That was the first thing Shirou thought when he was jolted back into reality.

He tried to move his feet, but they felt as though they were rooted to the ground.

His head hurt like hell, his thoughts swimming randomly in the sea that is his mind, and he had no idea what had happened.

He's definitely not in his room.

The chilling breeze caused him to shiver as he realised where he was.

Ryuudou Temple.

The place seemed creepier at night, the temple looming ominously before him like a terrifying monster, the entrance acting as its gaping mouth, the lanterns casting their ghostly light as its source of sight.

And standing before him, a robed figure.

"W-Who are you?" Shirou stammered, his mouth felt as stiff as a cardboard. His drowsy mind was washed away by the adrenaline of fear and anticipation.

The figure did not answer, instead it walked, no, _glided_ towards him. As it drew closer, Shirou could make out a feminine visage, albeit the lower half, under the hood.

Before he could speak again, he felt a velvet hand clasped his chin and stroke it tenderly.

"My, what a specimen you are, boy. A magus whose power dwarfed the greatest magus this present is able to produce, yet you wield the strongest card. The Holy Grail does have a sense of humour."

The woman chuckled lightly, and Shirou felt it was not about the irony she mentioned.

"W-What do you want? My death?"

"Tempting, but incorrect, boy. Right now, you are more useful to me alive." The woman said, her gloved hand slipping under her robes only to pull out a jagged dagger. "But once I'm done with you, whatever happens to you afterwards is inconsequential."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She could taste the fear emitting from the helpless Master before her, no doubt running through what she had in store for him in his mind.

The fear, it's intoxicating, making her feel in control, not a mindless puppet following orders from a pompous Master, but as the Master herself. Caster loathed having someone pulling her strings, well now she was her own person, doing her own planning. And what results she had received! She had progressed far more in the war that she had under her pervious Master, about to seize control of the most powerful Servant in this Holy Grail War.

Nothing can stop her from laying her hands on the most fabulous prize.

Readying her Noble Phantasm, she grabbed the boy's hand, the one with the Command Seals. She could feel the muscle tensed under her fingers.

"W-Wha-?" The boy croaked out.

"You wish to know? Very well. Your Servant is valuable asset for me in this war, one who could provide me the means to emerge from this war as the victor! Which means taking your Command Seals and claiming them as my own!"

The boy's eyes widened with shock.

"N-No! Wouldn't…let you…" His face contorted with a mixture of agony and determination as he struggled to free himself from his prison.

Caster let out an unsuppressed laughter of triumph. "You are a fool, boy! Your feeble attempts to break free from your bonds will avail you nothing! It's useless to struggle!"

She couldn't help herself, gloating at the boy. The feeling of victory at the tips of her fingers was too great to suppress. To think, she is about to receive her ticket to the Holy Grail in a few seconds!

"It's too late, boy. Accept your fate with dignity." Caster smirked as she raised the dagger over the boy's hand eagerly.

"And I hope you would do so likewise with your defeat, Caster."

No.

Caster swung her neck around so quickly that she could almost hear it creaked.

Standing majestically at the entrance, the beacon of light in the dark and gloomy temple, was the one person she wanted so desperately, yet not so much at this moment.

Saber.

"How…?" Caster gasped, her confidence vanished like dust in the wind, her throat suddenly dry.

"The link between Master and Servant, Caster, warned me that Shirou is in danger. Though it shamed me that I took so long to realise he was in peril. I shall not make the same mistake next time." Saber replied calmly, her eyes were strict, yet seemed to be mocking Caster of her carelessness, of the fatal flaw in her otherwise perfect plan.

 _No! I will not be robbed of my victory again! Not…Not when I'm so close!_

"I doubt you will make the same mistake again Saber, if there was a next time!" With a wave of her free hand, a blanket of black mist surrounded Saber.

The shining knight stood on guard, her eyes watching for any sudden development from Caster's attack.

She did not have to wait long.

The mist soon dissipated, revealing about 50 grotesque looking bone warriors, their skeletally fingers clutching crude swords, ready for battle.

As soon as the enemy was revealed, Saber wasted no time, dashing towards the nearest warrior and cleanly sliced it into half before it could react.

"Those bone warriors shall stall her long enough for me to…Huh!?"

Just as Caster was about to stab Shirou, the boy immediately slapped the hand carrying the dagger away.

Amid her surprise at the untimely appearance of Saber, Caster let her control over Shirou slipped, allowing the boy to slap the weapon away from him.

"You are not getting away with this, Caster!" With a cry, Shirou launched himself towards the witch.

 _Is he mad? Throwing himself onto a Servant?!_

Unable to react, she had no time to dodge as both of them crashed into the ground.

Saber must have saw that, as her eyes widened with fear. "Shirou! Hold on for a second!" Her attacks reflected her urgency, as the speed of her sword was now a raging hurricane rather than a breeze.

"Unhand me, you fool!" Caster yelled, trying to keep her Noble Phantasm from Shirou's prying fingers. _Every second he's on me, delaying my escape!_ The crushing sound of bones cracking when Saber introduced her armoured fist to them and clang of the invisible sword as it obliterated her inanimate warriors did little to calm her pounding heart.

"Over my dead body!" Shirou cried as he desperately tried to disarm Caster of her most dangerous weapon, one hand grabbing the hand holding the dagger while the other pinned her free hand down.

"Easily arranged!" With a short incantation, a burst of purple light sent Shirou flying off from her and with a stroke of luck, into Saber.

"Shirou!?" Saber gasped, mixture of shock and relief in her voice.

 _Got to escape to my workshop!_ Truth be told, Caster did not know what to do once she's at her workshop. Perhaps she's just deluding herself, that there may be a sliver of hope in surviving this night, just like how she foolishly believed that Jason would reciprocate her…

Quickly, she dashed to the shed near the temple, the place which she converted into her workshop, her feet stepping on the remains of her skeleton warriors. It was the crunching sound of the breaking of bones that warned her about the enemy behind her.

She ducked instinctively (when she looked back at that moment, she wondered how she managed to do it), feeling the invisible sword slicing through the top of her hood and a few strands of hair and tripped, her body rolling right into the entrance of the shed. Gasping for breaths, Caster looked up and watched the swordswoman calmly walked towards her with her sword raised.

"Surrender, Caster." Saber ordered.

"You are insane if you think I would." Caster answered through gritted teeth and shouted, "ακινητοποιεί!"

Immediately, the ground under Saber seemed to have turned into putty, causing the astonished Servant to stare as her feet began to sink through the ground.

 _Victory can still be mine!_ Caster grabbed hold of her Noble Phantasm and while Saber was distracted by the sudden obstacle, plunged the dagger into the Servant…

Only to be tackled by Shirou.

"You again!?" Caster screamed with frustration as both her body and Shirou's flew into the shed. _That boy will be the death of me!_

Shirou was yelling something, but she could not hear it, for the next thing she knew, she was bathed in a white light.

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He was bathed in white light, so bright it almost made his iris burn.

Dazed, Shirou groaned as he struggled to lift his battled body from the irresistible touch of the ground. For an instant, he had Caster in his arms as he grabbed her, trying to stop her diabolic plan of stealing Saber from him, and next he was lying face-first on the stone ground, nothing in his arms.

 _What…happened?_ Shirou had no time to ponder as he heard a piercing scream of agony behind him.

Startled, he turned his head, only to see Saber chasing after a small fleeing figure out of the temple gates with a determined look on her face.

He guessed that Saber had assessed that he had suffered no major injuries and not in any immediate danger for him to be left alone as she pursued after the mysterious figure. His eyes could be deceiving him, but that figure…

"It couldn't be…"

Not knowing what he was doing, Shirou pulled his body up with a wince and stumbled towards the main entrance.

His body ached like hell, given that he was thrown at high speed into the armoured Saber, but strangely, it didn't hurt as bad as it did a few minutes.

One of life's mysteries that would go unsolved for now.

Already, he could see a purple glow of light illuminating the night sky, casting an ominous feeling in the gloomy temple.

No doubt there's a battle going on out there.

Reaching the main gates, Shirou arrived just in time to see Saber lifting her invisible sword above her head like an executioner and in front of her…

He did not know what possessed him that night, nor did he ever care.

There was only one thing in his mind.

If the mysterious figure now there was who he thought to be, no doubt Saber would be infuriated, to be it lightly, at what he was about to do. He could even see Rin facepalming in his mind eye.

But that does not matter.

Nothing does.

So against his better judgement, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"WAIT!"


	8. Chapter 8

7

Souichirou Kuzuki looked at the scene before him wordlessly.

Calling the temple courtyard a mess would be an understatement; it was as if a small hurricane tore through the place, sending everything in the courtyard in disarray. The tiles on the floor were cracked, the gardening tools that were kept near the entrance was scattered like fallen leaves all over the place, and the shed…

He walked slowly towards the shed which Caster insisted to be converted to her workshop, the broken tiles cracking under his feet. To a bystander, he would almost seem to be taking an evening stroll, but only the keenest eyes could see how his eyes were surveying the scene warily, the tension his pose, his hands ready to strike anyone who dares attack him.

Reaching the entrance of the shed, Kuzuki kneed down. Under the pale moonlight, he spotted a piece of dark cloth, ripped at the edges, and picked it up. Bringing it close to his nose, he took a whiff.

Caster, and judging from the smell of her hair lingering faintly, it was part of her hood.

His heart, which beats monotonously for most of his life, quicken a little.

If he wasn't so focused, he might have been astonished by this development.

Pushing back the ruined door, the teacher looked inside. If the courtyard appeared to have been struck by a hurricane, the interior of the shed looked as though it was hit by a hydrogen bomb. Almost nothing was recognisable nor salvageable, everything was reduced to a pile of junk.

Kuzuki's eyebrows furrowed. Though it seemed that an explosion happened here, there were no scorch marks. Interesting.

Suddenly, his eyes caught a movement near the back of the shed. It was only for an instant, as it disappeared into the shadow, unpenetrated by the moonlight, but Kuzuki still caught a small glimpse of it. It appears to just be a black slug.

His mind, once calm, began to feel troubled, though his face did not betray his inner turmoil. Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander, feeling for the bond between himself and Caster.

He could feel her.

She's still alive. From what he had observed, Caster must have been attacked while he was away, but for some reasons, she escaped death. Has she left the temple and went into hiding? But where else could she have gone? He recalled Caster once telling him that this temple was the best place for her to reside in due to it sitting on a leyline. If she had escaped, she would have returned once her enemies left. The other possibility is that…

No, that preposterous. If what Caster had said is true, no sane Master would do that.

Feeling out to her, Kuzuki couldn't help but noticed how faint and jumbled their link was. It was there, back he could not pinpoint the exact location of where she could be. Strange, he did not have that problem before. If he was going to find her, it would take a while. And to shorten that, he needs clues.

Slipping the silky cloth into his breast pocket, Kuzuki focused his attention to the shed and began his investigation.

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 _It was a rather chilly night when Caster stumbled upon her Master sitting on the stone steps at the entrance of the temple. It was a few days after he had found her. She had just left her workshop after another frustrating failed attempt to summon her servant when she spotted him just sitting there, without his jacket and his top button undone._

 _Kuzuki was a very quiet man. He hardly spoken to her after that fateful day, and she didn't pursue talking to him to focus on her agenda of setting up a formidable fortress in the temple and summoning her servant, but now that she had done with the former and failed with the latter, she got some free time in her hands. Besides, it would be interesting and useful to know more about his character. While she trusted him more than her previous Master, it wasn't by much. Her trust isn't something she would give out freely._

 _Silently she glided over to where he was sitting, glazing intensively at the stars. As she drew nearer, he suddenly spoke._

" _What is it?"_

 _Caster would be lying if she said she wasn't slightly shocked by him detecting her presence without hearing or seeing her. The man's perception was uncanny._

 _Caster did not know how to phrase her intention and said in a soft voice._

" _I would like to understand you more, Master."_

" _There's nothing you need to know about me." Came the abrupt reply._

 _Caster couldn't tell whether he really meant it or was trying to signal to her that he wished to be alone, but decided to continue._

" _Then, at least tell me your wish for the Grail."_

 _There was a short pause, with the chirping of crickets filling in the gap._

" _I have none."_

 _Caster stared at the back of Kuzuki's head incredulously. "None?! But…but why did you agree to participate in the Holy Grail War as my Master if you have nothing to wish for? The grail is an omnipotent wishing artefact, surely there must be something…"_

 _Kuzuki continued to stare ahead, and without turning, asked emotionlessly. "For all my life, I have no desire, no wish. Why I participated in the war is for me to know only."_

 _Another pause, then he asked._

" _What about you? What do you want to wish for?"_

 _Surprised that he actually continued the conversation, Caster raised her head to look at the night sky, devoid of stars unlike in her past when the night sky was beautifully decorated with the celestial lights, before returning her eyes to her Master's back._

" _I…" She said shakily, "I wished to return to my home…"_

 _Caster wiped a few tears from her eyes that were threatening to leak out. And stopped._

 _Kuzuki had turned to face her, but his face…there's something wrong with it. Black fluid dripped from his eyes, leaving black tearstains on his cheeks. The foul liquid flow out of his mouth like a fountain, falling onto his white shirt, staining it black. And he was smiling, like a wolf that had cornered its prey._

 _She had never seen Kuzuki smile before, and she was glad she never did until now. It was so unnatural, so wrong that she was sure Alaya would wipe that existence away._

 _Caster took a terrified step back, almost tripping over her robes. Kuzuki continued to smile wolfishly and even if the black liquid gushing out of his mouth, his voice was as clear as day._

 _No, not his voice. It was someone else._

" _That's a lovely wish, Caster. I really hope you will win this war, so I can enjoy seeing you suffer because of it!"_

 _Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Nothing.

What greeted her when she opened her eyes was not her Master grinning horribly before her, but a wall.

A plain, simple wall.

She would have felt the blissful caress of relief had she not realised she was in an unfamiliar room.

Caster has not inspected every nook and cranny of the Ryudou Temple, yet it was very obvious that this was not any room in the temple.

Groaning from the throbbing pain in her head, Caster sat up, the blanket covering her body pooling on her lap. Doing her best to ignore her headache, she scanned her unfamiliar surroundings.

Actually, there wasn't much to see. The room was fairly simple, just a study table and a cupboard. She could sense a boundary field in the room, but it was so crude and rudimentary that with a wave of her hand, it would be annihilated in a blink of an eye. At least it told her that this building belongs to a magus or someone who practices magic, an amateur at best.

Well, amateur or not, she can't afford to let her guard down. The Holy Grail War is being conducted in Fuyuki City and unless this magus just happens to live here for all his life, there is a high chance that he is a participant in the war.

…In fact, she could sense the presence of a Servant nearby.

Her clothes were neatly folded at the side of her futon, so Caster slipped out of the oversized pyjamas she's wearing (Why was she wearing pyjamas) and put them on.

Why is she here?

Who took her here?

If it was a Master, why isn't she dead?

Plagued by questions she can't answer, Caster pulled open the shouji and stepped into a long hallway. Though her mana level is still pretty low, she should still be able to cast some devastating spells should the situation called for it.

She felt like she was in a dream. Everything felt hazy, and she could not remember much. Her memories were so fuzzy that it made her head throbbed whenever she tried to piece together the broken fragments of her memory like a jigsaw. Somehow, in this state, she reached another shouji at the end of the hallway.

With trembling hands, Caster pulled it open.

A Japanese style living room greeted her. It was, like the room she woke up in, rather simple, with a short table occupying the middle of the room, surrounded by four cushions to sit on. A large TV set was set at a corner of the room and the only other eye-catching object in the room is a vase filled with plastic sakura flowers that was screaming to be noticed in the bland room.

And…

She saw him. The boy, with his back turned, in the kitchen cooking up a meal.

He was wearing a red apron, which in her opinion looked ridiculous on him, stirring something in a pot on the stove. Humming a unfamiliar tune, seemingly oblivious to the Servant behind him, the boy picked up the pot and poured its contents inside a bowl. The scent of freshly cooked food permeated the air.

Seeing him, part of the puzzle of her memories clicked into place. A Master. That boy was the Master she lured into her temple yesterday, the one who-

Who what? Caster gritted her teeth, her hands grabbing the top of her head. She couldn't remember what happened next.

Well, no matter. Caster scowled and pointed her index finger at the boy who was still unaware of her presence. She can't remember what she wanted him for, but he served her no further purpose. He was a weak amateur of magic, so one simple spell should end his miserable life.

Her finger began to glow, Caster was about to fire of her spell when she realized something.

 _Wait, if he is a Master, where is his Servant?_

Her question was soon answered with a sharp pain on her neck.

When did she appeared? Caster inhaled sharply, her eyes widening until her eyes were practically bulging from their sockets as she slowly turned her head to the right, as if afraid that any sudden movement would spell her death.

The emerald eyes, the golden hair that reminded her of a field of wheats, the cold determined young face. Even if her attire was different, there was no mistaking her. After all, how could one mistake the person who was just inches from killing her?

"Saber…"

And the final piece of the puzzle was completed.

Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Caster could feel the color drained from her face, her breath becoming faster and faster as if the room had the absence of any oxygen. The brush with death yesterday, seeing him reflected in the girl's eyes, was so frightening close that she could feel herself going into panic and shock.

"Continue what you are doing Caster, and your head will leave your body." Saber stated firmly, her hand holding the invisible sword that was on Caster's neck, her eyes telling her that she would not hesitate to finish up what she intended to do last night.

"Ah…ah…" Caster could only stare stupidly at her, her mind already frozen. The finger aiming at the boy had already dropped, all strength fading from the arm supporting it.

"Saber!"

The boy ran towards them, a concerned look on his face. It appears that he finally noticed them.

"Saber. Put that sword down. I told you not to harm her, right?" Grabbing the arm holding the sword, the boy scolded his Servant, trying to pull her arm away with little success.

With an expression that surprised Caster, Saber pouted angrily. "B-But Shirou, she was going to kill you…"

"Oh, um…" the boy, Shirou, looked as though he never would have expected an enemy Servant he rescued to shoot him in the back of the head. "W-well, you could just incapacitate her without taking her life…"

"I feel that removing a potential threat quickly would be a better option."

"But she could a potential ally as well!"

"She's an enemy Servant, Shirou! She too desires the Grail! Why would she be our ally?!"

Both Master and Servant glared at each other, sparks flying between their eyes, Caster temporarily forgotten.

"Ahem." Catching their attention, the two of them turned to face Caster, whose neck was still being pierced by the sword. "If you have no intention of killing me now, could you order your Servant to remove her sword from my throat? It is not very comfortable, I assure you." Feeling that they were not going to kill her, at least for now, some of her composure had returned. Her breathing had returned to normal. Though she realized her voice sounded a little of squeaky. As if…

Saber growled and for a terrifying moment, Caster thought she felt the sword digging further into her throat.

"You must be jesting, Caster. As if I would do so after what you-"

"Saber. Let her go."

"Are you mad, Shirou?" Saber stared in disbelief at her Master. "She tried to kill you! She would do so again if we don't eliminate her now!"

Shirou met her unwavering stare with his own. "Saber, I will use my Command Seals if push comes to shove"

"Shirou!"

With an undignified huff, Saber dispelled her sword into golden particles, before abruptly leaving and sitting on one of the cushions with an unsatisfied expression.

Sighing, Shirou turned to Caster with a tired smile. "Sorry about that. Can't really blame her, though. After all-"

"Why?"

"Huh?" Shirou looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Why did you save me, boy? I am an enemy. I was using you. I was about to snatch your Servant away from you. If you killed me back there, you could have eliminated a part of the competition. So…why?" Caster lowered her face, a sudden wave of tiredness washed over her.

The boy in question froze. A strange expression crossed his face. "Well, you see…"

Just then, the shouji door opened.

Rin Tohsaka walked into the room, dressed in her school uniform. Already not a morning person, Rin appeared more weary than usual, as though she had aged fifty years.

"Good morning…" She murmured, staggering to the kitchen. Her bloodshot eyes caught sight of both Shirou and Caster. "Oh, Caster is awake?"

"Yeah…" Shirou laughed awkwardly, his eyes following Rin's every movement as if he was afraid she might do something.

"You are not going to change your mind about keeping her here? Even after what I told you last night?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. We could have her as an ally and well…about her Master, we can deal with him when he comes…?" Rin rolled her eyes and sighed, pouring herself a cup of tea and settling down by the table.

"No plan at all…I don't know whether to agree with Archer that I am teaming up with an idiot or feel insulted that you STILL need an ally even with me in tow…Great, now I have a headache early in the morning…"

"Hey, I am not an idiot." Shirou frowned as he supported the slackened Caster and brought her to the table to join her fellow female companions. "Wait here. I will go get breakfast."

Caster wanted to object that Servants do not need to eat, but gave up. All the adrenaline from the shock she got from Saber had left her body and she felt like doing nothing but resting her head on the table and blocking everything out. Caster stared at Rin before asking, "You are a Master, ain't you, girl."

Rin just continued to drink, feeling no need to affirm.

"Teaming up with another Master…I _could_ understand, but letting her stay under the same roof, with no other protection under than his Servant? That boy is too naïve…"

For a moment, she could have sworn she saw both the Servant and the girl nodded their heads in unison.

How that an idiot like him get the strongest class? He is not worthy of possessing Saber!

Shirou appeared in her field of vision, placing multiple dishes on the table. She must admit, the food on the plates looked delicious. Saber was just staring at them like a hungry lion, all her previous vexation forgotten for the moment.

"Oh, and if you think of using your Noble Phantasm…" From her skirt pocket, Rin pulled out Rule Breaker, wrapped in pale brown cloth. Something snapped inside Caster. Was it the fact that this _girl,_ this insignificant speck of dust,took away her possession, the object that defined her history, her pain, her legend? Or was it the smug look she flashed to Caster when she held the dagger like it was a piece of used tissue.

"You…DARE…" Energy seemingly poured into her previously exhausted body, Caster would have leapt across the table and strangle the bitch if it wasn't for the knight sitting with her.

"It is for our own safety," Rin explained, smirking slightly. "From what little Emiya-kun told us last night, it is best to keep watch of it. And who to best keep it but me? Emiya-kun is naïve, so I have no doubt you would trick him into giving it back to you."

"AND YOU GIVE IT TO HER? ARE YOU INSANE BOY? YOU GIVE IT TO AN ENEMY MASTER?"

Shirou's face blushed, but Rin sighed. "I managed to convince him because of this: First, we are teaming up. Next even if I made a pact with another Servant, I doubt I have enough mana to sustain two of them. I know my limits very well. Besides, Saber is the superior Servant, unless I form a contract with Berserker, she most likely could defeat Archer and the other Servant. Difficult, yes, but not impossible." Caster noted with vexation at the prideful look on Saber's face.

And poof, the dagger disappeared back to where it came from. Caster watched it regrettably as it vanished. "Oh, by the way, Shirou. Archer just spotted Fujimura Sensei and Sakura approaching your house. I hope you have already thought of a reason for Caster."

Shirou looked like he had reached the end of his life. "Of course, Tohsaka. Hopefully, Fuji-nee will go easy on me this time…"

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It had been such an interesting morning.

Caster watched in amusement as the brown-haired teacher grabbed the boy by his uniform collar and shook him like a ragdoll, roaring straight at his face. From the resigned look on his face and the way his body flopped about like a leaf in a thunderstorm, he looked as though he had lived through this ordeal before. Rin too was watching the show with a barely conceited grin while Saber didn't seem to mind that her Master was being manhandled and was gorging up her breakfast faster than Caster could ever cast her spell.

The reason why Caster was treated to this spectacle was because somehow she could not return to her spirit form, a trait she later found shared by Saber. Which was weird, because she was able to do so without problems before. Something worth taking note later.

She scowled. The…teacher was too rough for her liking, acting more beast than man. No sense of femininity in her bones at all. Seeing her act like a child annoyed her, and to think that she had the gall to call her a 'cute kid'?! While Caster hated to think of herself as old, she was certainly no child either. And the boy did nothing to correct her at all, saying a 'girl like her need to be protected'. Are they blind or something?!

The other visitor, a purple-haired girl, was the polar opposite. Quiet, reserved, she looked at Caster with a mixture of curiosity and worry, absentmindedly poking her fish with her chopsticks, as though she couldn't fanthom Caster's existence in the Emiya household. But she hid it with a forced smile, not well enough for Caster to not notice. And the way she stared at the boy with adoration, it was clear she had feelings for him. Somehow, Caster felt sorry for her. Being in love with an idiot was somewhat of an experience she would not like to repeat.

Still, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about that purple-haired girl. She may seem innocent and maybe part of her truly is, but she could sense some sort of darkness, a black miasma deep in her heart that no joyful façade could hide.

And there's something else, something in her…

The TV was on, giving a report of five missing men who disappeared without a trace while on their way home from work last night. But no one was listening, their attention either on the quarrel between a tiger and a magus or their food.

The reason Shirou came up with was that Caster was a foreign tourist from overseas who came to Fuyuki and had made arrangement beforehand with him to cater for her accommodation. Even though the story sounded dodgy, from the way the teacher kept asking him when had this place turned into a love hotel, in the end, she allowed her to stay because 'we can't let a cute girl out on the street like that!' and the Rin girl cheerfully promising that she will teach him a lesson if he should do anything inappropriate.

Caster mostly kept quiet, just answering a few questions thrown to her by the furious teacher unenthusiastically. She could use some hypnotic suggestions to make the conversation smoother, but why aid the enemy?

On a side note, the breakfast was amazing, maddeningly enough. When Caster reluctantly took a bite the fish, her mind immediately blanked out. When she regained her senses, she realized she had cleared all of her breakfast, leaving no stains behind.

Seeing the proud look on the boy's face infuriated and embarrassed her. How can a man cook so well that the food felt fit for a banquet of the gods? When kind of era has the Holy Grail thrusted her to?

After breakfast, the teacher was first to leave, leaving the boy, Rin and Sakura to clear the dishes.

"I should be leaving for my morning practice now, Senpai." Sakura said, wiping the remaining dish dry with a cloth.

"Well, why don't we all go to school together?" Shirou suggested, smiling warmly. "It will be the first time we will be doing that. What do you say, Tohsaka?"

"…Hmph, I don't see why not." Rin answered, casting a glance at Sakura, just as Sakura turned to look at her. Their eyes met; Sakura quickly turned away, a small blush on her cheeks while Tohsaka continued looking, an unreadable expression on her face.

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"See you guys later! Try to get along, ok?" Shirou laughed awkwardly as he stood beside his schoolmates at the entrance. "Try to be friends, ok, cousin Saber." Rin smiled deviously with narrowed eyes. "I hope you enjoy your stay here, Saber-san, Caster-san." Sakura bowed politely.

And with that they were gone.

Leaving the two Servants sitting across each other on the table to have an intense staring contest.

Saber gracefully sipped on the cup of tea, but her eyes never left Caster's. Even when she stretched to reach for some dorayakis, her eyes remained focused on Caster like a magnet. It was rather unnerving.

"So, Saber," Caster spoked, breaking the frigid silence. "It seemed that your Master wants us to…get along." She tried to flash a friendly smile, but it came out more like a pained grimace.

"That is so."

"Will you trust me?"

"No." Came the instant reply.

"…Can't say I'm surprised, I am a rather untrustworthy person in nature. Given what I intended to do with your Master…"

Saber slammed her cup down. "As a knight, I swored to protect him as his sword. Last night my oath was nearly broken due to you. I shall not commit the same mistake again, Caster."

Her venomous yet determined words gave Caster pause, but only temporarily.

"Is it my fault that your oath was nearly broken? You didn't protect your Master from me and yet you pin the blame on me?" Caster questioned slyly as she too took a dorayaki and bit into it, much to the disapproval of Saber. Mhmm, seems like the food in this country wasn't as bad as she thought.

"I did try, but Shirou was stubborn and refused my help. His sense of judgement is quite…off, such as keeping you alive. But be warned, Caster," Saber leaned forward, her eyes seemed to pierce right into Caster's soul. "I know you are planning something, your type always does. Whatever it is, it would not work. The moment you try something suspicious, I will kill you, even if I had to fight against the Command Seals with all my will, even if you are just a child. I will not let Shirou come to any harm."

The sense of loyalty and determination radiating of Saber seemed to fill the whole room, making Caster feel a wave of disgust and nausea.

Yet something was bothering her.

"We shall see, Saber. Could you stop referring me as a child? Although your eyesight couldn't be compared to Archer's, it can't me so terrible that you mistaken me for a pre-adolescent?"

The surprised look on Saber's face sent chills down Caster's spine. Not because it was scary.

Because it was genuine.

"What do you mean Caster? I could see you clearly. If you think I'm jesting, look at the television screen."

The TV was off, it's black screen could act as an imperfect mirror due to how reflective it is. Caster didn't want to look, too afraid to look. Her heart was pounding, her mind was racing. She thought back on why her clothes seemed bigger when she put them on, how much younger her voice sounded, how everyone had been calling her a girl or a child…

 _No. It's impossible. This has to be a joke. It has to be. IT HAS TO BE!_

Caster didn't want to look.

But look she did.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Archer sat on top of the roof of the Emiya residence, leaning back on the smooth blue tiles. Not the most comfortable place to sit on, but compared to where he's from, he's not complaining.

The ray of the early morning sun did not blind him; he could see the three schoolmates leaving the front gate, walking towards the direction of their school. He could see Rin teasing the boy about something, from the way she leaned towards him with the smirk he knew all too well. Shirou was blushing and was irritatedly trying to move away from Rin inconspicuously while Sakura was giggling with a melancholic smile on her delicate face.

Archer could have sworn he had seen this same image a long time ago, when life was much simpler.

The tanned Servant shook his head to dissipate that thought. Now wasn't the time to be reminiscing the past, or what little he remembered about it. The Grail had granted him a second chance in life. A chance to set out to accomplish what he wanted to do for…how long? A decade, century, millennium, eons? Does it really matter?

He wasn't lying when he told his Master he had no desire for the Grail. After all, it had already granted his wish.

For a short moment, Archer imagined himself cocking his bow, the arrow pointed straight at the clueless boy. Pulling back the string. Releasing it. Letting it fly. Seeing the arrow pierced through the boy's head, his idiotic expression just as he comprehended that his life was suddenly cut short. The blood flowing cleanly out of his wound. His lifeless body crumpling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

It brought a small smile on his face.

He was recovering from the wound he received from Saber quite rapidly. It should be completely healed by tomorrow. Perfect. He needed to be in perfect condition to execute his goals.

Too bad Rin got hold of Caster's Noble Phantasm. He was planning to use that for his execution of his plans. He doubted Rin would give it to him if he asked; that's just plain stupid. His Master was already suspicious of him not knowing his identity.

An obstacle, but a minor one. After all, Archer was nothing short of resourceful. It will be his cunningness and wits that will win him the War, not brute strength. There are many ways to skin a cat. An opportunity will soon present itself.

In fact, an idea was beginning to form in his mind…

 _Archer,_ a voice spoke in his mind, breaking his thoughts. _What are you dawdling behind for?_

 _I apologize, Rin._ Archer replied smoothly. _I thought you would want me to keep an eye on those two._

 _Leave them be. Saber can handle herself against Caster, even more so considering Caster mana level is lower than normal. So hurry up! I didn't summon you so you can laze around!_

 _My, my, my Master is so heartless. I'm still recovering, you know?_

 _Shut up, you are in a pretty good condition already._

 _Very well then._ Archer stood up, his body dematerialising into spirit form. _Don't blame me if this place becomes a wasteland because of those two._

The red Servant returned to his Master's side, his mind formulating a potential course of action.


End file.
